Luck, Words That Win, and Tarot Cards

I had the pleasure of being a guest on Read Me Live with Sharifah Hardie. (In 2020, I was a guest on Sharifah’s other podcast called The Round Table Talk Show.)

Sharifah and I covered a lot of ground in one hour. We started with one of my favorite topics, luck, then wandered through meditation, mindset, the power of words, energy, winning sweepstakes (when I popped on my other crown as the Contest Queen for a moment), and then landed in a tarot reading that felt less like “predicting the future” and more like holding up a mirror at exactly the right time.

Below are the highlights in two parts: first, the biggest takeaways from our conversation, and second, what each card said to me about my life path right now.

Part 1

1) Luck is not something you attract. It is something you exude.

This is one of those refinements that feels small, but it changes everything.

I used to call it “attracting luck,” because I noticed that lucky people tend to behave in certain ways. They show up. They share. They assume things will work out. They expect wins before the win happens.

But here’s the shift: it is not about trying to pull luck toward you like it lives “out there.” Luck is an inside job. You create it. You radiate it. Then you put yourself in the path of potentiality, and you let life meet you there.

That is true in sweepstakes, business, relationships, and every new chapter you are brave enough to begin.

2) Being prepared for an opportunity is not boring. It is powerful.

I said something I’ve believed for years, which is a quote by Les Brown: “I’d rather be prepared and not have an opportunity than have an opportunity and not be prepared.”

That is luck in action.

People love to tell me I’m lucky because I’ve won a lot of prizes, but when I ask what they’re entering, the answer is often… nothing.

You cannot win if you do not enter. That line is obvious, yes. It is also a life principle. You enter the draw. You apply for the job. You pitch the idea. You make the call. You show up to the room. That is how “lucky people” seem to have everything fall in their lap.

3) Your words are not decoration. They are direction.

We laughed over a few of the examples I gave.

I prefer “wasband” over “ex” because it’s softer and it keeps me out of bitterness. I caught the word “explode” when describing the growth of my business and replaced it with “skyrocket,” because exploding sounds destructive. Skyrocketing feels expansive.

This is not about being perfect. It’s about being conscious. Words shape identity, and identity shapes choices. Choices shape outcomes.

If you want a different life, you do not need a hundred affirmations. You need cleaner language and a more intentional inner narrative.

4) The secret to consistency is not motivation. It is the decision to do it anyway.

Meditation came up early because Sharifah asked why people act like it’s “hard.”

My honest answer: I do not meditate every day (yet). I’m human. I get busy. I know the tools, and I still have to choose them.

But I also know something else: if I wait until I feel like it, I will never feel like it. That’s true for meditating, going to the gym, managing my bookkeeping, and all the behind-the-scenes habits that create a lucky life.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is sit your butt down and do whatever it is you are avoiding..

5) Make it a game.

“I know I’m going to win. I just don’t know which one.”

Helene Hadsell taught laser focus when entering sweepstakes. I’m more of a shotgun approach person. I enter lots of giveaways, and I expect to win. The fun is not knowing which one.

Sharifah immediately saw how that applies to sales, business, and goals: “I wonder which person I talk to today is going to say yes.” Exactly! You can use this approach for any goal you are working toward. The expectation of “winning” changes your energy, your tone, and your follow-through.

It turns pressure into play. It brings you back into flow. And flow is where the wins live.

Part 2

Sharifah’s style is fun, but it’s also practical. She was mapping patterns, choices, timing, and what I’m ready to receive next. Here’s what stood out to me from each card and why it matters right now.

1) Six of Pentacles (Main theme/issue)

This card screamed “resources in motion.”

Six of Pentacles is giving and receiving, support, exchange, and the idea that money (and help) needs to circulate. On my path right now, it’s a reminder that I do not have to white-knuckle everything alone.

It also asks a question I think many entrepreneurs need to hear: Am I allowing myself to receive support as easily as I give it?

2) Wheel of Fortune (Overall theme)

If we were looking for a card that matches the topic of “luck,” this is it.

The Wheel is cycles, timing, momentum, and the turn of events that can feel “sudden” to everyone watching from the outside. It’s also a reminder that life moves. Nothing stays stuck forever unless we cling to the stuckness.

For me, it felt like confirmation that a new cycle is already turning. Not wishful thinking. Not someday. Turning.

3) Four of Cups (What it appears to be)

The Four of Cups can look like boredom, disappointment, or “nothing is happening.”

But the deeper message is selective attention. When you’re looking down, you miss what’s being offered.

On my life path right now, I took this as a warning I actually appreciate: do not get so focused on what hasn’t landed yet that you overlook what is already arriving in quieter ways.

4) Queen of Swords (What it really is)

This one made me laugh, because yes, I am literally “The Contest Queen.”

But beyond the title, Queen of Swords is discernment, clarity, boundaries, and truth without fluff. It’s also the card of a woman who knows her craft because she has lived her lessons.

For my path right now, this card matters because I am in a “choose wisely” season. Not every opportunity is my opportunity. Not every open door leads to the right room.

This queen does not chase. She decides.

5) Five of Swords (Past energy)

This felt like old conflict energy, friction, petty battles, and the kind of misunderstandings that drain your battery.

I heard it as: “That chapter is behind you.” Not that the past didn’t hurt, but it doesn’t get to run the show anymore.

6) Five of Cups (Present energy)

The Five of Cups is grief, loss, and the tendency to focus on what didn’t work.

For me, it connected to something I said earlier in the conversation: I’ve been through a dark night, and while I knew the “right mindset” intellectually, it still took time for my nervous system and my life to recalibrate.

This card matters now because it’s the bridge. It’s the moment before the head lifts. It’s the point where you stop rehearsing what happened and start choosing what happens next.

7) The World (How I see myself / inner story)

This was one of the strongest confirmations in the whole spread.

The World card is completion. It’s the end of a cycle and the readiness for the next level. On my life path, I read it as: something is done. Something has matured. Something has integrated.

And after “completion,” you don’t just rest. You begin again, but at a higher level, with new boundaries and more wisdom.

8) Ten of Pentacles (How others see me)

Legacy. Generational wealth. Overflow. The long game.

This hit home because so much of my work is exactly that: building systems, content, and teachings that last. Not just winning a prize, but creating a body of work that helps people win in life.

It also reminded me to see myself the way others already see me: established, credible, and capable of building something that outlives the moment.

9) Four of Wands (Near-future energy)

Celebration, community, milestones, events, and “we did it.”

This card matters because it’s not just personal success. It’s shared success. It’s gathering energy. It’s the kind of win you mark, not the kind you quietly move past.

For my path right now, it felt like a nudge to let myself celebrate progress as I go, not only when everything is “finished.”

10) The Devil (Final outcome / lesson)

I’m a triple Capricorn, so yes, I noticed right away that the final card was my card.

Sharifah framed this card in a way I agree with: it’s about choice, patterns, attachments, and the illusion of limited options.

To me, this was not a scary ending. It was a powerful one.

The Devil says:
You are not trapped.
You are not stuck.
You are not limited to the options you can currently see.

It also says: if an old pattern shows up again, it may not be a setback. It may be a final exam. A quick “Are you sure you’re done with that?” from the universe.

And I am.

Watch the episode, then reflect on this: Which card, insight, or moment in the conversation felt like it was speaking directly to where you are right now? Share your takeaway in the comments.
If you would like to be a guest on Read Me Live, go to Shrifah’s website and apply.