Tattooed in Amarillo
A story about luck, driving across the country, and my first tattoo.
“I’m so lucky, everything just works out for me.”
Above is a phrase I have repeated daily for many consecutive months.
The phrase used to be: I am a magnet for magic.
In either form, the intention is to magnetize magic and miracles to my daily life. And because I’m aware of how the reticular activating system works, I wholeheartedly believe in magic and luck.
The reticular activating system (RAS) is a network of neurons located in your brain. Essentially, it helps control how we see the world.
It’s the part of your brain that contributes to the phenomenon of hearing about a certain make/model of a car and then seeing that car everywhere.
When something is perceived as important to our mind, our brain begins allowing that thing to filter through to our consciousness so that we can become aware of it.
For example, if you are in a loud crowd of people and someone calls out a name that is not yours, you likely won’t hear it. However, if someone calls out your name, you somehow manage to hear it despite all of the other stimulus going on around you.
You can thank your RAS for that.
A few years ago, I decided to train my brain to be on the lookout for magic, miracles, and serendipity. I believe that we create our own luck because in order for something “lucky” to occur, we typically have set ourselves up for it.
Someone may think you’re “lucky” to have gotten into a great college. The reality, is that you put in a lot of work in order to even have the opportunity to get accepted and thus become “lucky” to have gotten in.
When I began focusing my attention on the phrase “I’m so lucky, everything just works out for me,” some pretty wild circumstances began to unfold.
I’ll insert a bulleted list below to give you an example of the “lucky” experiences that began to transpire within a single month:
I won a travel giveaway on Instagram
I won a $100 gift card from my apartment complex
I got to keep a brand new $200 filtered shower head for free after I cancelled my order and received a total refund
I found a $20 Starbucks gift card taped to my apartment door
I got to select a free pair of satin pajamas I had been wanting from a brand I began working with
I won another giveaway out of hundreds of people for a free $200-$300 ring
I was gifted 2 chairs that fit perfectly in my home after spending 2 months unable to find inexpensive chairs to purchase for that space
A store employee happened to have a single validated parking garage ticket for me after I lost mine
I was gifted a free candle from a business owner after telling them how much I admired the scent
I got every front row parking spot in packed lots for weeks
Though the impact of changing my thoughts extended far beyond physical/tangible gifts, I find the tangible examples are the easiest to conceptualize.
So, what does all of this have to do with getting tattooed in Amarillo?
I’ll tell you.
After all of these events transpired, I was a on a hike with my partner and I told him that I thought “Lucky” was a fun name for an animal. I began thinking about luck and how I had felt really lucky over the last few months. I went on to say that I have always wanted a tattoo and maybe a horseshoe would be a good fit as it’s a symbol of luck (and I’ve ridden horses my whole life).
Right as I said the word “horseshoe” the top of my foot caught a small hole in the ground. Looking down, I realized that my foot had found its way into a horseshoe print on the trail.
I had no idea horses were even allowed on the trail we were on. I looked at my partner speechless and in disbelief.
The timing of my statement and stepping into the horseshoe print felt surreal.
It felt like a sign.
The following month, I set out on a cross country road trip with one of my best friends. She suggested that I get the tattoo on the road to make the experience even more memorable.
I began researching tattoo artists in each town we would be stopping in until I came across one artist in Amarillo, TX.
I did a quick Instagram search to evaluate his work and noticed a good friend of mine from Charleston happened to follow him on Instagram. I texted the friend to ask if she knew him to which she replied in disbelief. My friend and the tattoo artist had crossed paths many years ago while living in Denver and working for a pizza restaurant.
I was shocked! The world felt so small and interconnected.
It was decided: I would be tattooed in Amarillo.
I texted the tattoo artist to book a time and to inform him of our mutual friend. His reply was also one of shock and surprise that we would have such a random point of connection.
He went on to tell me that he was running a promotion and would be offering free, thin line tattoos on the date that we would be in Amarillo. Yet again, another situation that left me feeling so lucky and in total disbelief.
A few days later, we arrived in Amarillo and I left with my first tattoo.
A reminder to create my own luck and carry it with me wherever I go.
I have found that our thoughts create our reality. I’ve read it, I’ve heard it, and I’ve lived it.
My hope is that this story is a reminder to choose your thoughts and live a bit more consciously. Become aware of all that you consume in a day: music, news, words, thoughts, food, etc.
Ask yourself: does this align with the reality I want to create?
If it helps, maybe you start the way I did and put a sticky note on your bathroom mirror that reflects something that you want more of in your life.
Maybe you want to be a magnet for magic, or perhaps be open to giving and receiving love.
Whatever it is, know that when we pair intention with action, we have the power to radically shift our entire life.
