“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity,” at least according to the Roman philosopher Seneca.
If he’s right, then luck is not random, it’s ours to create.
I would agree with Seneca. I’ve played with this for much of my life and found that there are two phases to improving luck.
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- The first is learning to be a ‘lucky’ person.
- The second is becoming a “super encounterer”, developing the skills to literally create magic in your life.
Today’s post is all about the first – what it takes to become a lucky person. In our next post, we’ll dive into the secret sauce of becoming a “super encounterer”, serendipity.
Let’s make some shift happen.
“You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocket ship underpants don’t help.”
~ Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Luck is Not Random
You were probably taught that luck is random, it’s pure chance.
It’s not.
Science has shown that luck is actually a mindset.
In the late 1990’s, Richard Wiseman set out to determine if “luck” was simply chance, or if psychological factors (thoughts, beliefs and perception) influence why some people seem luckier than others. He studied over 400 people over a 10 year period.
Wiseman’s years of multifaceted studies plus work by Barbara Fredrickson 1, Shawn Achor 2, Carol Dweck 3 and Christian Busch 4 all point to the same findings: luck is not just chance.
The Newspaper Study
They didn’t.
On the second page of the newspaper was a large message that read:
“Stop counting — there are 43 photographs in this newspaper.”
It was printed in two inch tall letters and took up half the page. It was staring everyone straight in the face.
➡️ Most of the “lucky” participants noticed it quickly.
➡️ Most of the “unlucky” participants missed it entirely, even though it was obvious.
Wiseman and the researchers who’ve followed him point to the same conclusion: mindset truly does determine how you experience the world, that luck is not random.
Luck is a mindset to be cultivated through reframing attitudes and behaviors.
“I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
So why bother changing your mindset around luck?
People who see themselves as “lucky” are more resilient. They create, notice, and act on more ‘chance’ opportunities. They’re open and observant so they are ‘prepared’ when luck shows up.
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- They expect to find options.
- They expect to see new possibilities.
- They expect to discover solutions.
So they do.
Their expectations become self-fulfilling prophecies.
So you literally create your own luck, as Seneca said, preparation (inner mindset) meets opportunity (outer world).
The Move – A Zen Parable
Two men visit a Zen master.
The first man says: “I’m thinking of moving to this town. What’s it like?” The Zen master asks: “What was your old town like?”
The first man responds: “It was dreadful. Everyone was hateful. I hated it.” The Zen master says: “This town is very much the same. I don’t think you should move here.”
The first man leaves and the second man comes in.
The second man says: “I’m thinking of moving to this town. What’s it like? The Zen master asks: “What was your old town like?”
The second man responds: “It was wonderful. Everyone was friendly and I was happy. Just interested in a change now.” The Zen master says: “This town is very much the same. I think you will like it here.”
Wherever we go, there we are.
What we seek is what we find.
Next Level ‘Luck’
What could possibly top being lucky?
Going beyond chance encounters to actively embracing and leveraging the unexpected, aka, serendipity.
Our next blog post dives into what serendipity actually is, how it differs from luck, what that means for you and the skills needed to become a serendipitous “super encounterer”.
For those of you who want to connect to the luck in your own lives even quicker, check out Inner Mastery.
Citations
1Broaden-and-Build Theory
2The Happiness Advantage
3Growth Mindset
4Serendipity Studies
5The Luck Factor