Get Lucky
TLDR Summary
Whether you like it or not, much of what happens to you is outside of your control. Luck is a major determinant in how life plays out.
There are 4 kinds of luck: Type I – blind luck, Type II – luck from motion, Type III – luck from awareness, Type IV – luck from uniqueness
You can increase the likelihood for Types II-IV luck to strike. You take action, try next things, and put yourself out there in the world. No one ever got lucky sitting at home watching Netflix.
A four-leaf clover is found in every 10,000 clovers. It seems impossible but they are out there. You can only find one if you start looking and believe you can do it. You make your own luck.
Bill Gates is #7 on Forbes’ billionaires list with an estimated net worth of $128 billion. Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft. Everyone knows Bill Gates.
How many of you know Kent Evans?
Kent Evans was one of Bill Gates’ childhood best friend. They both attended Lakeside High School, worked together at the school computer lab, and talked all the time about what they would do together after school. They even discussed starting a computer business. By all accounts, Kent was as talented and driven as Bill.
Kent died in a mountaineering accident at 17.
Bill went off to start that computer business with two other Lakeside classmates, Paul Allen and Ric Weiland. Microsoft is now the most valuable company in the world.
We like to think success in life is determined by things in our control – how well you plan, how hard you work, being a good person, etc. That’s all true. But another truth is that much of life is determined by things seemingly outside our control. Sometimes it’s just luck.
Kent Evans was struck by an incredible stroke of bad luck and never had the chance to walk the path him and Bill Gates set out for themselves. Bill Gates, with all the characteristics that set him apart as a leader – vision, innovation, drive, passion, etc. was also blessed with incredible good fortune. In the late-60s and early-70s, Lakeside was one of the only schools in the world with a computer. Had Bill been born just a few years later or outside of the Seattle area, he may never have been exposed to computers at the perfect time and Microsoft may not exist.
You shouldn’t underestimate the role luck plays in life. But that doesn’t mean you should all just sit on your butt and hope lady luck blesses you. You work, you grind, and you prepare so you’re ready for whenever that “lucky” opportunity comes along so you can make the most of it.
As Greek philosopher Seneca once said: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”.
You make your own luck.
The Four Types of Luck
In 1978, neurologist Dr. James H. Austin wrote Chase, Chance, and Creativity: The Lucky Art of Novelty In which he describes the four types of luck.
Type I: Blind Luck – This is the completely random, act of god type of luck – winning the lottery, Bill Gates attending Lakeside at the perfect time, or (sadly) Kent Evans dying in the mountaineering accident. This is the type that people most commonly associate with “luck”.
Type II: Luck From Motion – This is luck that comes from taking action. When inventing the world’s first commercially viable home light bulb in 1880, Thomas Edison tried thousands of different filaments before finding the perfect one, carbonized bamboo. It wasn’t blind luck that led him to that discovery. He put himself in the position to be lucky by continuing to try new things and not getting discouraged by earlier failures.
Type III: Luck From Awareness – This type of luck comes from a deep understanding of a specific field or topic. You see opportunities and solutions that others don’t. You know where and what to look for. This is a surfer catching a once in a lifetime 100-foot wave because of the thousands of reps he put in before. Those day in and day out reps prepared him to “be lucky”.
Type IV: Luck from Uniqueness – This luck actively seeks you out based on your unique attributes, hobbies, and lifestyle. On the extreme end of the spectrum, think of the countless opportunities Bill Gates sees every day. He gets to see all of those because he has spent a lifetime building BILL GATES. He is one of one. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a billionaire to attract this kind of luck. You just need to be yourself. You are also one of one. Pursue your curiosities and passions that make you uniquely you. Eventually this type of luck will seek you out.
It’s more interesting to focus on types II-IV – motion, awareness, and uniqueness. Type I (blind luck) is, by definition, outside of your control. Sometimes completely random things will happen. They might be good or bad. No need to dwell. Move onto something you can control.
You can create the conditions that increase the likelihood for types II-IV luck to strike. You try new things. You put yourself out there. You follow your curiosities and see where it takes you. Is luck more likely to strike in your cubicle / office or at a conference meeting new people? Nothing in life is guaranteed but you can tilt the odds in your favor.
Sometimes that makes all that difference.
One in 10,000? Focus on the One
A four-leaf clover is found in every 10,000 clovers. To find one is by most definitions “lucky”.
Yet, children seem to find them all the time. Why? I don’t think it’s a case of blind luck. Kids aren’t inherently luckier than adults. They are just willing to look. They don’t understand or care about the probabilities. You tell them it’s a 1 in 10,000 chance and they’ll focus on that one. That faint glimmer of possibility is all they need to start looking.
You’re never going to find your four-leaf clover if you don’t start looking. Your life isn’t going to change if you keep doing the same thing. Search with that childlike mindset and stay open to the possibility of that 1 in 10,000 lightning strike. Don’t get discouraged when all you see are regular three-leaf clovers. That four-leaf clover is somewhere out there waiting for you.
Maybe the next one.