Ceremonial swords are popular with presidents! George W Bush in Bahrain.

A while back I read about a ceremonial sword given to a Prime Minister by some visiting Arab officials. Since then it has sold to several owners.

And each time it has brought bad luck to them. Strange, but true.

Bad luck can be quite a powerful influencer to those who believe in it. Especially if the person with the power can control your life... like doctors - who have both the power to tell you the time you have left to live, or to heal you.

A recent survey found that doctors who gave a sugar pill instead of a regular prescription to a group of patients, found that they got better.

The patients didn't know the difference between the pills... they were cured by their own positive belief system.

There are several ways you can reverse your own fortunes, and here are three methods you can start right now:

#1. By far the most effective for lottery playing is this first step: Get rid of your losing tickets.

Rip them up, throw them away - after you've had them checked by your lottery store, of course.

Your bad luck will reduce because constant reminders of failure brings... more failure. Every time you view these statements of your losses, you'll be reminded of them. Not a good thing.

So instead of feeling enthusiastic and looking forward to the next game, you'll be miserable. So remove those reminders!

#2. The second step is to quit all other negative reminders in your life.

Pull out the kitchen drawers and throw away losing tickets, copies of bills you paid late, photos of people you dislike, wrong colored dishes, plates and cups that are chipped, old photos of how strange you looked back in the 60's, failed projects... the list goes on.

#3. And thirdly, remove clutter.

Clean it up. Clutter is a visual reminder of how messy you are right now, even if it's just temporary lack of time to clean it up.

Then replace your bad-luck past with success stories... reminders of happy places you've been, photos of people who you admire or have helped you.

Many successful people have:

• Framed photos of their first sales check

• Trophies in a cabinet

• Mementos of important events

 It's all part of reinforcing positive character traits that help them through the tough times.

Whether your trophy is a car, a watch, a framed check, pictures of happy grandchildren, your first record deal - make sure you have something around that reminds you of how great you really are.

A friend of mine had a cousin, Demis Roussos, the late 1970's singer famous for wearing a kaftan and his song "My Friend the Wind."

He showed me a photo of the popular Greek crooner's entrance hall when he stayed there a few years back.

The walls of the entry were filled from floor to ceiling with framed gold and silver disks... dozens and dozens of them.

Do you think Demis looked fondly back on his days as one of the world's most popular singers as he viewed them?

Yes indeed.

Now clear out your negative stuff and go buy some tickets for today's game!