People often say, "He's just lucky." But they don't see the countless small choices made before the outcome. They miss the years of learning, the projects that didn't succeed, the new people they met, the risks they took, and the thousands of hours spent.
The "luckiest" people I know weren't just lucky.
They consistently put themselves in situations that created more chances for luck to happen. That's why some people seem to "accidentally":
- Meet the right co-founder
- Land their dream job
- Raise funding
- Go viral
- Find "life-changing" clients
- Build successful companies
At some point, calling it luck doesn't make sense anymore.
In 1854, Louis Pasteur wrote, "Chance favors the prepared mind."
More than 170 years later, I believe that's still one of the best explanations of luck. The more prepared you are, the luckier you seem.
1. Increase Your Luck Surface Area
Imagine two people.
The first person spends every evening watching Netflix.
The second spends every evening publishing, building, learning, attending events, talking to people, and experimenting.
Who has a better chance of getting lucky?
Exactly.
Luck is largely a numbers game.
Every conversation creates another possibility. Every post reaches someone new. Every conference introduces you to new people. Every project teaches you something valuable.
The more opportunities you create, the more chances you have. Luck often looks random from the outside. From the inside, it usually comes from many small actions.
2. Luck Favors Movement
One of the biggest myths about luck is that it happens while you wait.
It usually happens when you're moving.
- Traveling
- Attending conferences
- Starting conversations
- Trying new projects
- Joining communities
- Saying yes to new opportunities
Most life-changing moments don't happen in your comfort zone.
They happen because you placed yourself somewhere new, like a random seat on a flight, a conference you almost skipped, a message you almost didn't send, or a city you almost passed up.
Every new place opens new possibilities. The more you change your environment, the greater the chances that luck will find you.
3. Make Yourself Easier to Find
One of the main reasons people don't get "lucky" is surprisingly simple:
Nobody knows they exist.
The best opportunities don't usually come from sending hundreds of applications. They arise because someone already knows who you are.
- A founder reads your article.
- A recruiter finds your profile.
- An investor sees your project.
- A client receives your recommendation.
Every piece of work you publish offers another pathway for luck to reach you.
Building in public, writing online, contributing to open-source projects, speaking at events, or sharing what you're learning creates opportunities well before you need them.
4. Increase Your Number of Experiments
The people who seem the luckiest usually try more things than others.
They simply do more, launch more projects, meet more people, apply for more opportunities, write more, and test more ideas.
Most experiments fail. Nobody notices them.
People only pay attention to the one that succeeded.
What appears to be luck is often the result of countless invisible experiments.
The more experiments you run, the greater your chances of discovering something unexpected.
5. Ask More Often
One big reason people don't get lucky isn't that they face too many rejections.
It's that they never ask. They never send the message. They never apply. They never pitch. They never request feedback. They never ask for an introduction. They never pose that question that has been on their mind for months.
Most people greatly overestimate how often they'll be turned down and underestimate how often the answer is actually "yes."
Every question opens a new possibility. Every application unlocks another door. Every message increases the probability that something unexpected happens.
Luck often starts with a question that someone else was too afraid to ask.
6: Stay Ready
Luck doesn't just reward movement, it rewards preparation.
Imagine meeting your dream client. But you have no portfolio.
Imagine encountering your dream investor. But you haven't started building yet.
Going viral. But there's nothing else on your profile. The opportunity isn't enough. You have to be ready when it comes.
That's why the people who seem the luckiest often spend months or years preparing before anyone notices them.
Luck doesn't replace preparation.
It multiplies it.
Your Weekly Luck Checklist
Complete as many of these as you can every week.
Build
- Launch one small project from your ideas.
- Share something you building publicly.
- Test one new idea.
Publish
- Write 3-5 posts.
- Document one experiment.
- Share one thing you've learned.
Network
- Meet one new person.
- Start 5 meaningful conversations.
- Attend one online or offline event.
- Introduce two people to each other.
Learn
- Read one book or long-form article.
- Study one founder or company.
- Learn one new skill.
Ask
- Send one DM you've been postponing.
- Apply for one opportunity.
- Ask one question you've been afraid to ask.
- Request feedback from someone you respect.
Explore
- Visit a new place.
- Join one new community.
- Say yes to something outside your comfort zone.
Now here's what I want you to remember from all of this.
Stop waiting for luck, create more opportunities for it to find you. Meet more people, build more things, publish more often, and try more ideas.
Your future luck depends on what you do today. ❤️
