Winning at Raffles, Bingo and Winning at Life Are the Same! Here's 5 Simple Tips on How to Win at All of Them!

(This post originally ran in July 2013.)

Once again, yesterday my son won the Top Grand Prizes at a Raffle contest at one of the big international schools here in Tokyo. The prize was a trip for two, all expenses paid, to New York, New York, or another destination of our choice.

My son with his grand prize certificate. Actually, besides the Top Prize, we also won two of the other Top 50 prizes. Count that in with a day outside helping friends and volunteering to make this world a better place, it was a day of constant winning! (Look at that smile! Any child who is that happy all the time has just got to win, right?)

It is about the fourteenth time he has won one of the big prizes at a raffle or bingo in the last four years. We always win. We have come to expect to win. In fact, if we don't win (at least a trinket), it has come to seem strange to me. 

Mar. 2011: Wins 11 games in four years. Grand Prize three times. Not a bad winning 

percentage. You really can do that too! 

Winning at raffles, bingo and winning at life are very, almost eerily, similar and I'd like to talk to you about that today. I think, if there is anything that I have been a massive success in my life at is that is being able to convince my children that they will "win." I have shown them that the way to "win" is by first believing that you will win and that you are a "winner.". I have even convinced - may I suggest that I brainwashed - my third daughter into believing that she would conquer "incurable" forth stage cancer. 

I do not mean here that you can believe yourself into winning a game of chance like a lottery or the raffle; I mean you can become a winner simply by changing your attitude and better understand of what it means to "win."

But before I go into theory and philosophy more, allow me to continue (brag like a looney) by telling you about the past and our "luck" and wins in all sorts of games and winning at bingo.

Two years ago, we won the very top prize of a vacation to Okinawa that included hotel and airfare. Yesterday, he won the trip to New York. In February  of this year, he won a gift certificate worth several hundred dollars at a very famous store in Tokyo. Last year, he won five times out of a total of 12 games or so in one tournament. Think about that; there are seven hundred people all competing at bingo trying to win the prize. To win once is enough to bring wide smiles and cheers to anybody's face. But he won five games in one night! That must be a record. Every time my son won, people were astounded. By the forth time he won, everyone was clapping for him. By the fifth time, people were verbally shouting, "That's incredible!" "I've never heard of such a thing."

The lady sitting next to us at our table last night has worked for the organization that ran last night's bingo for thirty years. She told me that she had been coming to this event twice a year, every year, and she and her husband had never won even once!

One of my son's former teachers knows my son won at bingo again and she wrote him this note by email:

"Congratulations! I just can't believe you did it again and I'm so happy for you. I believe you went to Bingo with a purpose in mind and had your heart set on the Grand Prize.

We can all learn a lot from you."

She wrote, "We can all learn a lot from you." Indeed. We can. My son's former teacher is very much a woman who understands a positive mental attitude and what that can do for a self-fullfilling prophesy.

Now, if you've ever played bingo, then you know that winning any prize is very difficult. People play all their lives and never win a Grand Prize. But winning it several times is almost unheard of. Last night, there were probably about seven hundred people playing and yet he won. It's always that way; seven hundred to one-thousand people playing and we always win. 

But, even before my son was born, I was lucky at winning these things. My wife too. And, don't think it is just luck. There is something to be said for a positive mental attitude or, may I go on a limb here? ESP.

My family and I have won at least a dozen grand prizes and at least seven free vacations to places all around the world.

But this is not a blog to brag to you about how lucky I am or we are. It is a blog to tell you how you can become this way. It's a not blog post to tell you how you can start winning Bingo. But, believe it or not, folks, winning at bingo and winning at life are EXACTLY the same thing. 

Winning is easy! It is easy, actually... Well, let me say that it should be easy... But people need to understand what "Winning" actually is. For most people, with a confused idea as to the definition of "Winning," it's "easier said than done." And you know why? Because most people are so negative and defeatist all the time. People are their own worst enemy. 

Think back to your school days. Think back to that guy or girl you remember that you envied. You thought they had everything didn't you? They always won. They were the best looking, they had the nicest car; they were popular, they always won at everything. They became class king or class queen. They had the coolest parents, the most beautiful girlfriend or boyfriend. They were truly lucky. You wanted to be like them.* 

My high school class king & queen. I thought they looked like movie stars!

Well, I hate sounding like a salesman, because I'm not selling you anything, but I'm here to tell you right now you can become one of those lucky people... Read on.

There are two really important things that you need to understand about becoming one of these lucky people. One is understanding what exactly it is that we are doing and its purpose in our life; and the second part is how these things affect your entire belief system. These two go hand in hand. 

The first part about understanding what it is that we are doing is, perhaps, the most important part. Today, we're using bingo as an example, so let's go with that. Think about this; is winning at bingo the best part of going to bingo? Is winning everything? I don't think so.

At bingo, I meet friends and other parents and always smile and shake their hands and say, "Hi!" We are all at bingo so, of course, the subject quickly turns to bingo. I always try to be extremely positive and say, "I always win!" They laugh. They don't believe me (the ones who knows us well don't laugh). Invariably, they all say the same thing,

"I never win." 

They say this with a voice of exasperation and defeat. Poor folks. They are totally and completely missing the point. They are really missing the boat in the bad lesson that they are unknowingly teaching their children subconsciously. Get this: I suggest to you that they are teaching their children defeatism and a losing attitude. 

I can imagine this family in my head; after "losing" at bingo (I mean, they don't win a "prize"), they hop in the car and go home. Dad and mom and kids are sad because they "didn't win." When they get into the house, dad takes off his coat and gives out a very loud sigh. "We lost again!" He says.

Is that any way to teach your children how to win? Is that anyway to teach your children how to be positive?  

Here is what I always tell my son before we play bingo;

"Remember the best part of bingo is not in the winning of trinkets or prizes, it is in the doing. Just being able to be here playing bingo with friends and family is winning. That is the "win." This is fun and it is a wonderfully exciting time we spend together. Just by being here together, we have already won. So smile and let's have fun!" 

It is. Playing bingo with my wife and son is a great memory and it is so very much fun. 

I tell my son this because I want him to be a winner. I want him to understand what "being a winner" truly is. This sort of thinking, this positive attitude, actually, I learned from an old Zen Buddhist saying,

"The joy is in the action, not in the result."

Can you understand this concept? The joy is in the action, not the result. Get it? I think people who truly love to paint or fish or golf, etc., can understand this. For the painter, a beautiful work is nice, but the true value and joy is not the finished painting, it is in the action of painting. For the fisherman, of course catching a fish is fun, but the true joy is standing there alone in front of nature and contemplating life - the joy is in the doing; for the golfer, the winning score is interesting, but soon forgotten; the real joy is in the day and the time considering the play. For all of them, the real value is in the action, not in the result. 

This is what is meant by, "The joy is in the action, not in the result."

Now, do you understand why, whether or not my son wins a big prize (a trinket), he knows, he believes and knows in his heart that he is a true winner? Can anyone deny that, regardless of prize, that we won merely by being able to go and play together and enjoy this moment together on our short time on this earth? 

Some people will scoff at this (they have a losing attitude). But let me ask you to consider this question: There are two children. They both have to go to school. One wakes up in the morning and says, "I don't want to go to school. School is no fun." The other wakes up and says, "I want to go to school. School is fun." Which kid gets good grades at school? Which kid becomes successful at school? Which kid is positive, is popular, gets the best girlfriend or boyfriend and becomes class king or class queen? And is considered a "Winner"

Simple, isn't it? It is the old chicken and the egg problem. Which came first? The kid liking school or the positive attitude? Which came first? Hating school or the negative attitude? And how did these children get these attitudes?

How do these attitudes affect our belief system? How can we change these attitudes? And, if we have children, how can we stop teaching them bad attitudes and start teaching them beneficial ones?

I think it is obvious how these attitudes affect our belief system. In the example above, do you want to be like the father above who comes home exasperated and continually expressed doubt and a defeatist attitude to himself or his children, or, do you want to be the person who understands that the joy is in the action and not the result?

Think about that: The family who thinks they "lost;" They just spent a wonderful time together, probably a rare time together, and they are so focused on winning some "stuff," (usually junk) that they fail to see the true value of what they have just done and they fail to see that just by being alive and being together that they've won the greatest prize of all!

I see this with people I meet everyday. They are worried about their job and the economy. They fear for the future. Almost everyone I see is this way nowadays.

But consider this, my friends; you are still here. I would wager a donut that you have had these fears and worries on and off for the last 5 to 10 years; "Will I have a job?" "What am I going to do?" "How will I survive?" With all of these worries what you are actually saying is, "How can I win?" Or, perhaps, "I never win."

Guess what? Thinking like that you probably won't ever win at bingo, and I'll bet that, even if you are winning, with that attitude, you'll never realize it either...

Today, many of my friends and many people are worried about their life and the future. It is natural to worry. I do it too! But I fight it. You should, you must, fight it too. Worrying, like saying "I never win at bingo," is creating a self-fulfilling prophesy. Stop it right now. If you say, "I never win," you won't win.

You need to start saying that you are winning (not "I'm going to win." You must say, "I am winning." In the present tense). Saying first. Repeating. This will start and plant the seeds of belief. When you believe, really believe, you can move mountains.  

From today, here's five things that you need to do to start on the track to believing that you can win at bingo and win at life:

1) Write down on three pieces of paper the saying, "The joy is in the action, not in the result." Tape one of the pieces of paper to the refrigerator and tape one in your car where you see it constantly and the last one in your wallet. Think about that phrase a lot. Repeat it out loud whenever or wherever you can.

2) Get a dollar notebook and start writing down your top 10 goals for your life and do it everyday! Here's how.

3) Wake up in the morning and the first thing you MUST do is think: "Smile! Today is going to be a great day!" If you can't remember to do this by yourself, then write it in large red letters on a piece of paper and tape it to your bathroom mirror.

4) Start using the Law of Attraction and positivity to create a good self-fulling prophesy to help you. Here's how. 

5) Start greeting everyone you meet with a happy and healthy "Hello!" or "Good Morning!" Stop sounding like you are dead to the world. If you greet people with an un-energetic salutation then you sound like you are losing. Stop it immediately. Everyone is searching for positive people. You should be that person. Instead of being "dark" and absorbing light like a sponge, you should give out light. People are attracted to light.

And, number six, OK, I said there'd be only five, so sue me...

6) Call your mom or dad or kids and tell them you love them and do it RIGHT NOW! Don't hesitate! Or, better yet, give them a great big hug and tell them yourself how much you love them and how beautiful they are. Realize that today is a fantastic day and you all are the luckiest people in the world... (Oh, and of you do go to bingo, take grandma... She's lucky, right?) 

Some people read this and think that I am a very lucky person. I am. But I've been through two divorces, a war with cancer, family members dying in bizarre car accidents, worrying about work as we all do (nothing special)... I've been through a lot of difficult times... But you know what? I never forget something special; I know that projecting negativity will just make things worse; I know that projecting positivity, in the face of great challenges, is creating a good outcome for myself and my loved ones through the power of the Law of Attraction. I know that, by being happy and thankful that I create a better situation for you and a better situation for myself.

Remember my friends, "The joy is in the action, not in the result."

Stay happy. Stay positive. Spread positivity. You already possess the greatest prize of all.


* Did you know that those people you envied in high school who you thought were truly lucky had parents that went through a terrible divorce or a parent who died when they were young? Or they had a sibling who was terribly handicapped? Or they had a younger brother or sister who died at birth? The difference between these people and negative people? These people didn't allow these things to create dark clouds on their horizons. They took the challenges and learned from them and those challenges helped them to grow into better, more positive, more loving people.... Think about it. Everything happens for a reason. Look for the positive and you'll find it - or create it yourself.

For my friends: Dale Yost, Naomi Yamada, Allison Sayne, Jp Valentine, Julie Rogers, Sheena Rogers, George Williams, George Chumly Cockle, Takatoshi Uchiyama; and also a thanks to the positivity of the Moxxor gang of JT, James Turner, Jared Turner and John Saylor! You guys all rock!

Feng Shui Means, "Make More Money!"

"Cleanliness is next to godliness" ~ Francis Bacon – Advancement of Learning (1605)

Feng Shui is Quack Science you think? Think again. Feng Shui is just plain common sense. By the time you finish this short article you will see why it is so painfully obvious and you’ll wonder why you didn’t figure it out sooner.

Do you want to make lots more money? It’s easy; clean up that mess. Do you want to have a more fulfilling life and a happier home? Easy; clean up that mess. Do you want to relieve stress and be more creative therefore more productive? That’s easy (and you already know the answer); clean up that mess. Cleaning up your mess and having a clean, open, well-lit home and workspace are keys to Feng Shui.

What is Feng Shui? I don’t really want to turn you off by getting into this part too much, but I suppose at least a little background information might be helpful. Feng Shui literally translates into, "The way of the water and the wind." In layman’s terms, that might mean that you don’t row a boat up a rushing river and against the wind. That should sound simple enough. Feng Shui, originating from ancient China, has been used by Asians for thousands of years.

In spite of all that you may have heard or read about Feng Shui, I’d like to take a few moments of your time to explain in simple terms why Feng Shui will help you accomplish all the things that you want from life: A happier family, a more relaxed home, relief from stress, more accomplishment, and a much better financial situation; and all just by cleaning up your home, office, or store. Feng Shui requires no investment, little time, and no hiring of hippie quacks to come to your house to tell you what’s wrong. All it requires from you is some diligence and a little effort. What could be simpler?

It might sound a bit ridiculous if I told that you could increase your business and make more money by vacuuming your space every day, but that’s the way it is. Here’s why and please consider the next scenario with me.

You are driving through the countryside with your wife and kids. You all are tired and hungry so you decide to stop for something to eat. There are two restaurants next to each other. You walk into the first one and the exterior and interior are dilapidated. There is a halfway dead tree with brown leaves falling off of it and dead plants near the entrance of the restaurant. The tables and chairs are old and broken down. There are stacks of old papers and trash piled up behind the cash register. The floor looks like it hasn’t been mopped in weeks. The ceiling fan looks to be on its last legs…

You walk into the second restaurant. It is clean. The carpet is not new, but it is clean and the tables are shiny. There are beautifully kept palm trees at the entrance of the establishment. The waitresses are all wearing nice, clean uniforms…

Well, I could go on, but why? I think both you and I have decided already which restaurant we are going to take our wife and kids to.

Isn’t it obvious? How could anyone expect that you or your business is doing well when you won’t even take the time to clean up and look after what is yours?

Don’t have dead plants in your office or home. Of course you should never have any dead plants at the entrance to your place of business or your abode. When people walk in and see dead plants, what could their subconscious possibly be telling them about the way you run your affairs? I mean, how hard is it to take care of a houseplant? If you can’t do that, then how could you possibly expect that you will be trusted with someone else’s business or their money? You can’t. You are dreaming if you think you can.

Don’t leave stacks of trash on your desk or behind the cash register. What does that tell me and other customers about the way you handle paperwork and your other affairs? You know what they say about ‘tip of the iceberg?’ If you have trash piled up in front of the store or restaurant, then I’d hate to see the disaster that lies behind those walls!

If you are a salesman (and, in a way, aren’t we all?) then you must expect that people do judge by appearances. Perhaps you can’t afford a shiny new car, but you can take the time to clean up that car of yours. How would I feel if I got into your car and there were old candy wrappers, empty coffee cups, receipts, trash, or even money on the filthy floor of your car? Not good, I can tell you that.

Think about it: How could anyone expect you to be doing a good business when your workplace and your home are filthy? They couldn’t. And if you sincerely stopped to think about it, you’d admit that what I’ve written here makes perfectly good sense.

The same rules will apply to your place of residence. It must be kept clean. A home is a place where one can escape the hustle bustle and reinvigorate themselves. A home is a place where one can relax. Relaxing is enjoyment. Who doesn’t want to relax? Who doesn’t want enjoyment? How can you relax or enjoy yourself in a pile of filth?

A home is warm. A home has an identity. That individual identity – whether it is yours as an individual person – or your family identity – must be preserved. You cannot do this without a home. Well, how in the world are you going to relax and refresh yourself when the place you live in is a filthy mess? You can’t. You need a home. Homes are to be kept clean.

Clear out that trash. Vacuum the floor; and especially do something about those dead houseplants.

It’s funny, when you stop to think about it, how dead plants remind people of, well, death; and how death doesn’t seem to correlate to good business unless, of course, you are an undertaker.

Many psychologists, and I think most people would agree, that we are products of our environment. Now what kind of product do you think you can produce, as a person, or as a business, when your environment is filthy? As the great statesman Benjamin Disraeli once said, "Cleanliness and order are not matters of instinct; they are matters of education, and like most great things, you must cultivate a taste for them."

Consider my friends: One can sit there all day thinking about ways to make more money, but they’ll not come up with a good idea while they wallow in filth. Good ideas are great. Great ideas don’t come from filth.

Do yourself a favor, clean up. And while you clean you’ll be refreshing your inner spirit and be able to make a place where you can relax and refresh; a place where your mind can create and play.

So remember: Feng Shui is not only common sense, Feng Shui means, "Make more money."

This article originally appeared on Lew Rockwell.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/rogers/rogers211.html

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Keywords: Feng Shui, clean, Mike Rogers, Mike in Tokyo Rogers. cleanliness, Marketing Japan,

Omikuji - Your New Year's Fortune from Japan

(A little late, maybe. But for many people in Japan, tomorrow is the 1st day back to work for the New Year so let me slide on this one!)

Every New Year's in Japan, Japanese people go to their favorite temple on (usually) on Jan 1st, 2nd or 3rd, pray and get their good luck fortune for the year. The good luck fortune is called Omikuji and it is a little piece of paper that you place ¥100 in a box and pull out the one you want.

I go and get mine every year. I think most Japanese people do too.

Here, let Wikipedia explain it to you:

Omikuji (御御籤, 御神籤, or おみくじ) are random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan. Literally "sacred lot", these are usually received by making a small offering (generally a five-yen coin as it is considered good luck) and randomly choosing one from a box, hoping for the resulting fortune to be good. (As of 2011 coin-slot machines sometimes dispense omikuji.)

The omikuji is scrolled up or folded, and unrolling the piece of paper reveals the fortune written on it. It includes a general blessing which can be any one of the following:

• Great blessing (dai-kichi, 大吉)
• Middle blessing (chū-kichi, 中吉)
• Small blessing (shō-kichi, 小吉)
• Blessing (kichi, 吉)
• Half-blessing (han-kichi, 半吉)
• Future blessing (sue-kichi, 末吉)
• Future small blessing (sue-shō-kichi, 末小吉)
• Curse (kyō, 凶)
• Small curse (shō-kyō, 小凶)
• Half-curse (han-kyō, 半凶)
• Future curse (sue-kyō, 末凶)
• Great curse (dai-kyō, 大凶)

The reason that I am writing about this at this late date is that I want to brag. You see, for me, tomorrow, Jan. 10, 2012, is really the first day of work for me for the new year. 

Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life, so to speak.

2012 is going to be a very lucky year for me again. Why? Well, see the above (to the right) where I've highlighted in light blue, "Great blessing (dai-kichi, 大吉)"? That's my lucky fortune for the year. In fact, why I brag is that I've received the "Great blessing" (the luckiest fortune) now for three years in a row. This is a copy of it below. Getting the "Great blessing" is extremely lucky and sometimes very rare. So, see? I want to share my good fortune with you! Now that you get to witness it, it becomes your lucky fortune for the New Year too!:

 Copy this, print it, and fold it up and keep in your wallet or in your car for good luck!

It says all sorts of things but it specifically says that we must pray and be faithful. Even though it might seem that things are bad, if we stay focused and pray, things will work out well. It also says stuff like "You shouldn't buy any big things." I reckon they mean a house or a car. No problem there. As for me, I don't buy things anyway. There's no way I'd buy a car or expensive clothes. No thanks. I am not that type of guy. I hate shopping.

The other thing that it says that really impressed me was it says that "If you have stocks, you should sell them. You will make money." Wow! That one really blew my mind. I was thinking about selling these crappy stocks I owned - no, they aren't worth millions, but should have been (chuckle).... These stocks have lost so much money over the last few years that I was worried whether I should hold them and hope for the best or just get rid of them and try make a few bucks. Just before New Year's I told the guy to sell them for what he could get for them. Then I worried if I made the right decision.

But now, this piece of paper says I made the right choice. Wow! I feel better! I feel great! I feel lucky!

And that's the point of this whole thing.... I believe the entire point of these things (omikuji and fortunes) are not specifically what they say, but how you take what they say to mean to you; or how they make you feel. I got really lucky and fortunate to get this rare piece of paper - this rare piece of luck. Now, I want to share that with you.

When I saw that I was predicted to have "Great blessing" I felt lucky.

Here's your fortune, that I picked especially for you and me, for 2012:

*Even if things look bad, have faith and things will turn out okay

*Eat well, cut down on bad foods and alcohol

*Try to exercise and get more sleep

*Save money / Cut down on credit card debt

*Work hard and work diligently. In 2012 those people will be the survivors. 

*Stay focused

*Be kind to people

*Be honest and sincere

*Write down your goals everyday and get the Law of Attraction working for you!

*Strive to be more patient and relaxed. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Do these things and 2012 will be much better than 2011. In fact, it will be a good year. Let's face it, you make your own luck. If you feel lucky, you are lucky. I feel lucky. How about you?

Let's make our own luck in 2012! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!

It's the Year of the Dragon! Specifically speaking, 2012 is the Year of the Water Dragon. It is going to be a good year for those with entrepreneurial spirit. Be one!

Famous people born in the Year of the Dragon

Joan of Arc, Susan B. Anthony, Florence Nightingale, Sigmund Freud, Mae West, John Lennon, Bruce Lee, Keanu Reeves, Orlando Bloom, Colin Farrell, and Sandra Bullock.

General predictions for the Year of the Water Dragon 

The year of the dragon has always been traditionally associated with new beginnings and good fortune. It is a lucky year.

Dragons, and those born under compatible signs with the dragon (Rat & Snake), will especially benefit from luck or good fortune during a Dragon year Dragons were born in 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, and 2012.

Those with entrepreneurial spirit are particularly favored to see much success in the coming year. They merely must dedicate themselves and stay focused.

Generally, it's predicted that any new business venture or relationship might benefit from the outstanding luck often associated with the dragon. Therefore, 2012 will be a very good year to get married (if there could be anything like that!), have children, or start a new business... Or to even win the lottery! Of course, I only jest as any time is a good time to win the lottery.

As the world suffers through one of the worst economic calamities in recent memory, supposedly bold new leadership will help ease the circumstances of those suffering most from recent financial setbacks. (So maybe that does mean Ron Paul can win! Oh I hope so!)

Since 2012 is the year of the Water Dragon, the liquid element to this is said to calm the dragon's usually tempestuous nature, and will give a thoughtful perspective to the plight of the less fortunate.

Dragons who can pursue their own passionate ambitions while meeting the needs of others are best suited to navigating the year ahead. Those compatible with the Dragon — the Rat and the Snake in particular — will also find 2012's circumstances inspiring them to greater personal happiness and professional success. 

Seven Gods of luck

If you wish for more good luck, you can help yourself by cleaning your home windows (so you can "see clearer" and make a clear path from the North East corner of your abode through to the South West corner. This allows the dragon to glide effortlessly through your abode bringing good luck. Placing clean water outside your abode at the South West corner as a reward for the dragon will also tempt him to pass through your house and bring you good fortune.*


* Seriously, I learned this from a famous professional Feng Shui instructor in Japan!


For more on your specific birthdate and the Chinese Zodiac, click here. http://chinesehoroscopeonline.com/

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Remember, whatever the omens portend, for better or worse, you are the final master of your own fate.




Wishing you and your family a year of health and prosperity! Gung Hay Fat Choy!


Happy New Year to you and yours and may 2012 see you all in health and prosperity! 

Your Japanese Good Luck Oracle for 2011

Today is Jan. 3, 2011 and today I did my "Hatsumode." Hatsumode is the first day to visit the temple for the New Year... 


Wikipedia says this about Hatsumode:

Hatsumōde (初詣 hatsumōde) is the first shrine visit of the New Year in Japan. Some people visit a Buddhist temple instead. Many visit on the first, second, or third day of the year as most are off work on those days. Generally, wishes for the new year are made, newo-mamori (charms or amulets) are bought, and the old ones are returned to the shrine so they can be burned. There are often long lines at major shrines throughout Japan.

Most Japanese are off work from December 29 until January 3. It is during this time that the house is cleaned, debts are paid, friends and family are visited and gifts are exchanged. It would be customary to spend the early morning of New Year's Day in domestic worship, followed by sake—often containing edible gold flakes—and special celebration food. During the hatsumōde, it is common for men to wear a full kimono—one of the rare chances to see them doing so across a year. The act of worship is generally quite brief and individual and may involve queuing at popular shrines. The o-mamori vary substantially in price.

Well, today wasn't exactly my first day to visit the shrine. Actually I went yesterday but I went too late and couldn't pick up my good luck fortune for the next year, my Omikuji, as the shop at the shrine was closed. 

So, I went today. I have to have my Omikuji as I need confirmation that this year is going to be the best year so far in my life....

Wikipedia says this about Omikuji:

Omikuji (御御籤, 御神籤, or おみくじ) are random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan. Literally "sacred lottery", these are usually received by making a small offering (generally a five-yen coin as it is considered good luck) and randomly choosing one from a box, hoping for the resulting fortune to be good. (Nowadays, these are sometimes coin-slot machines.)

The omikuji is scrolled up or folded, and unrolling the piece of paper reveals the fortune written on it. It includes a general blessing which can be any one of the following:

• Great blessing (dai-kichi, 大吉)
• Middle blessing (chū-kichi, 中吉)
• Small blessing (shō-kichi, 小吉)
• Blessing (kichi, 吉)
• Half-blessing (han-kichi, 半吉)
• Near-blessing (sue-kichi, 末吉)
• Near-small-blessing (sue-shō-kichi, 末小吉)
• Curse (kyō, 凶)
• Small curse (shō-kyō, 小凶)
• Half-curse (han-kyō, 半凶)
• Near-curse (sue-kyō, 末凶)
• Great curse (dai-kyō, 大凶)

A common custom during hatsumōde is to buy a written oracle called omikuji. If your omikuji predicts bad luck you can tie it onto a tree on the shrine grounds, in the hope that its prediction will not come true. The omikuji goes into detail, and tells you how you will do in various areas in your life, such and business and love, for that year. Often a good-luck charm comes with the omikuji when you buy it, that will summon good luck and money your way.

Of course, as I just knew I would, I got the Great Blessing Omikuji. This means that this year will be very lucky for me - this, also, as I knew would happen.

Dai-Kichi, the Omikuji for Great Blessing....

Perhaps you can't go to a shrine or temple this year, so, just print out the Omikuji above and fold it up and keep it in your wallet or purse this year. It is sure to bring the bearer good luck!  

Good Luck to you in 2011!