Coco Chanel eventually named her first perfume No. 5 and, when she made it big, showed her new lines on the fifth day of the fifth month of the year.
Creative people, you might have heard, are often superstitious.
Chanel's insistence on number five, Geronimo's belief that he was protected by a guardian spirit, and Yoko Ono's need to light a match and watch it burn before turning to her work are examples of feeling psychologically connected to a power bigger than yourself.
Why are these beliefs important? Because when you feel emotionally connected to a larger narrative, your brain creates courage. And with courage, your brain also creates optimism, resilience, and self-belief.
Fortunately, you have access to an even more powerful way of feeling connected to a larger narrative. One that moves beyond superstition to satisfy your brain's desire to connect to a larger story that's real.
If you still insist on lighting candles and watching them burn, wearing a certain kind of sock, or only working when it rains…know that doing so is doubly powerful when paired with this prompt.
