Oh no – another Friday the 13th

Dan Miller —  April 12, 2012 — 15 Comments

Last year there was only one Friday the 13th.  And that’s officially Blame Someone Else Day – the first Friday the 13th of each year.  On the first Friday the 13th of this year – January 13th – I had an emergency appendectomy and really couldn’t pin it on anyone else.

This year is a little tougher. Every year has at least one Friday the 13th.  And never more than three.  Guess how many there are in 2012 – yep, three.

The next one is this Friday, April 13th.   And if you are a Paraskevidekatriaphobic, you may not even want to get out of bed tomorrow.  Yes, this is the official term to describe those people afflicted with a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th. Whatever you do, don’t walk under a ladder, and don’t let a black cat cross your path on this day.  Maybe I’ll have another body part removed just to keep up my pattern for the year.

According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed.  Many will refuse to close on a house or act on a stock tip.  According to Wikipedia “It’s been estimated that $800-$900 million is lost in business on this day.”

Personally, I expect to have another spectacular, exciting, happy, fulfilling, and profitable day on April 13th.  What about you?  What are you expecting?

In Personal Development, Workplace Humor ,
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  • http://emuelle1.typepad.com/ Eric S. Mueller

    I’m expecting a normal day. As always. But I’m not prone to superstitions.

    From study I’ve done, possible candidates for the origin of Friday the 13th being bad luck include what happened the the Egyptian firstborns the night of the first Passover, and it was also the day the King of France murdered the Nights Templar. Somehow that translated into it being a day of bad luck for those of us in 21st century America.

    My Friday the 13ths run exactly like my Friday the any other date of the month.

  • http://TeamEagleRevolution.com Bryan Hart

    I have my lucky rabbits foot ready…

    Like they say, though, “it didn’t work for the rabbit.” 

  • http://bluecapra.com/ Alan Reeves

    I agree with Eric, Friday the 13th is just another day. It is funny how we sometimes confuse causation with corrality, thinking that just because two things happen at the same time or place that they are related. It is truly amazing how our mind works, creating patterns where there is none.

    But, no matter what the circumstance, that causation is real in the minds of those who believe. I hope no one let’s a day on the calendar affect their life.

    On a lighter note, that presents an opportunity for those of us not bothered by Friday the 13th to get ahead

    • 48DaysDan

      Alan – there you go.  While others are crouching in fear the rest of us can surge to the front of the pack.

  • http://seekoutwisdom.blogspot.com Joseph Iliff of SeekOutWisdom

    Friday the 13ths do not bother me.  My birthday is the on the 13th, and every so often, it falls on a Friday.  I try to remember that a particular day or time is Friday the 13th because we human beings say it is. 

    Today, everyone uses the Gregorian calendar, but it was only invented in 1582.  The Gregorian calendar has a 400 year cycle, so we’ve only completed one full cycle.  By it’s own measurement, it’s very young.  It was not that long ago that much of the world still used the Julian calendar, and historians have to adjust dates written from different parts of the world to the Gregorian standard.  If you look up George Washington’s birthday, you’ll find it is February 22, 1732 in the Gregorian calendar we use today, but February 11, 1731 in the calendar used when he was born.

    When I see news stories about how we occasionally add an extra second between two years so our cesium atomic clocks are accurate to the nanosecond, or how Samoa skipped December 30, 2011 to move from east of the International Date Line to west of it, I remember that Friday the 13th is our own creation. Nothing to be scared of.

    • 48DaysDan

      Joseph – I like that – “Friday the 13th is our own creation.”  Just like any other day, we have the choice to make it whatever we choose to.

  • http://www.workyouenjoy.com Adam Rico

    Dan, you often talk about how our thoughts dictate our attitude and our actions. So those who think Friday the 13th is going to be an unlucky day will be proven correct. Those who think it will be another good day will also be proven to be correct. I plan on being in the latter group.

    • 48DaysDan

      Adam – yep, it reminds me of the Henry Ford quotation:  ”Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.” 

  • Margie

    I’m like you.  I’m expecting as many, good things from tomorrow, as I do from today-if not more. My father routinely said, during my childhood, that Friday the 13th is a good luck day for our family and I believed him!   

  • Pete

    It’s going to be a great day!  Moving in to a new house today, and closing on the old one.  Friday the 13th is for “victims” who don’t acknowledge personal responsibility.  Don’t blame someone else, take responsibility and make something happen…even on Friday the 13th!

    • 48DaysDan

      Pete – wow, sounds like it’s going to be an excellent day for you - congratulations for making it so.

  • Archie

    SO WHAT…if it’s Friday the 13th! It’s a paid day off work for me, and actually is THE last day at my present employer! I am starting a brand new full time employment position with the State of Tennessee on Monday (that I’ve been trying for – for a couple years now)! So, gang, just try to convince me that Friday 13ths are bad, that’s just not happening in my world. :-)  Look for the good, friends, and you WILL find it.
    Great post, Dan! You ARE….THE man!

    • 48DaysDan

      Archie – congratulations man!  New job – cool.  

  • Mburdo

    Not only is it Friday the 13th, I received a payment from a client and the check number was 666!  All I can say is any day that I get paid is a good day!  Hooray for Friday the 13th!

  • Tracy

      …Didn’t even realize that yesterday was “Friday the thirteenth” until I
    read this article on Saturday!  Wouldn’t have bothered my either way. I spent the day with great
    friends and the evening with my husband, my friends and their husbands.  As far as I am concerned, Friday the thirteenth is a good day to laugh about superstitions and then move on toward your dreams or, if you are already there, keep living the dream!