Here’s how I think about luck.
- Luck is a by-product of taking lots of action.
It comes from making enough attempts, not from making one perfect decision. Doing things over and over, putting work out consistently, and making yourself visible all improve your odds of getting lucky.
People who stand still almost never get lucky. Luck doesn’t appear out of thin air. It comes from the encounters that action creates, with people, ideas, and opportunities.
As long as you’re moving, you have a chance of crossing paths with the world. Stopping to wait for the perfect moment closes off those possibilities.
- Act on your curiosity instead of trying to plan the perfect path.
Small experiments driven by curiosity work better than sitting around until you’ve figured everything out. Start moving and the path will become clearer as you go.
Action produces outcomes and information. Treat both as feedback, not as final results. You can use all of that feedback as fuel to keep going.
- As soon as you see a positive signal in some direction, however small, double down.
Don’t spread your effort evenly. Identify what’s working and put more of your resources into exploring it.
Continuing to invest in what works makes more sense than constantly switching to something new.
- Face the urge to quit.
Almost every long-term project goes through a phase where you want to stop. That’s normal. Recognize the impulse, accept it, and keep going anyway.
Persistence doesn’t mean you’ve never wanted to quit. It means choosing to stay when you do.
Also, a lot of what we call burnout comes from an unclear direction, a lack of feedback, or an inability to see progress. It isn’t always genuine exhaustion. You can ease it by changing how you act, finding more meaningful feedback, or reconnecting with your reasons for doing the work.
- Stay in the game.
As long as you’re still in the game, luck has a chance of finding you. Once you leave, those odds go to zero.
That’s why I’ve recently started experimenting with livestreams and in-person meetups. Making more connections might bring new opportunities and more interesting things my way.