Office Superstitions

Superstitions, some of us use them to bring us good luck, others use them to ward off jealousy or negativity. Fastcompany.com had a survey that brought to my attention how common office superstitions are in the workplace and I thought I would share it with you. There are so many ways people can do this. Here are some examples:

wearing the color red for good luck
knocking on wood to ward off any negative actions
placing bamboo plants or money trees on your desk for good luck.
wearing charms to protect yourself from others’ jealousy
throwing salt over the shoulder for good luck.

Many people use these superstitions throughout their daily lives, even in their office. The survey indicated the frequency of these actions.

37% surveyed said they performed superstitions once a day.
26% surveyed said they performed superstition once every few weeks.
16% said they performed superstition once every week.
11% said they performed superstition once every month or two.
5% said they performed superstition once an hour.
3% said they performed superstition once every year.
2% of those surveyed said they performed superstition once every 15 minutes or so.

Those surveyed also said:

47% performed superstition for fun.
21% did it before they went to bed.
5% did it to help them feel safe.

If you feel better about your situation, yourself, and more hopeful for the outcome, it is OK to be a little superstitious. There are a few that I also do through my day. However, if it stops you from doing something or taking a risk that would help you better your business, then it needs to be evaluated to see if it is for your best interest.

Are you superstitious? What type of superstition do you do throughout your workday? Does it help you feel better about the situation at hand? Does it help you stay focused? Let me know what works for you and what you decided to stop doing because it didn’t help. I would love to hear from you.