If you have even an ounce of good taste, you know exactly what movie this GIF is from:
Today’s episode isn’t about movies. Or your horrible taste in them.
It’s about taking a page out of Harvey Dent’s playbook, and making your own luck.
When someone puts their best foot forward, but things don’t work out in their favor, it’s obviously because luck wasn’t on their side.
When the same person achieves something great against all odds, luck had nothing to do with it!
“Luck is not something you can mention in the presence of self-made men.” - E. B. White
In reality, it’s most likely an indiscernible combination of persistence, hard work, skill, and of course, luck. Luck always plays a role.
So what, then, is luck?
Luck is actually a pretty difficult concept to define in a concise way, but here’s my best attempt:
Luck is a seemingly random meeting of circumstances that appears to make events happen by pure chance. It’s important to note that luck is neither inherently good nor bad.
Think back to the last few lucky circumstances you found yourself in. Did they involve any of these elements?
Spontaneity
Expression (putting yourself out there)
Opportunity
What if I told you there was a way to maximize your potential for luck?
Let’s walk through the average 25 year old’s week:
Work a 9-5 Monday through Friday, order lunch from the Chipotle pickup app. Every night after work, either head home to watch Netflix until bed, or head to happy hour with college friends.
On weekends, spend a night out at the bar with the same friends. Watch HBO, do groceries, do laundry, and take care of other chores. Maybe spend some time with family.
Notice how during that week, there were almost zero opportunities for any of the three elements we talked about to manifest themselves.
Now, let’s mix things up a little and introduce those elements:
Work the same 9-5 Monday through Friday, but step out to a new restaurant for lunch every day. Strike up conversations with the people preparing your food.
Instead of watching Entourage for the 7th time, or hanging out with the same friends after work, maybe check out that new yoga class you heard about, go to a networking event, or, dare I say, go to dinner alone!
Over time, you’ll meet new people. Develop these relationships. Talk about your interests. Ask genuine questions about theirs.
Notice how drastically different those two weeks are. In the second scenario, you’ve introduced spontaneity, expression, and opportunity into your life.
For all the introverts out there, don’t forget how applicable these principles are due to the power of social media. Leverage Twitter, Reddit, and LinkedIn to connect with people.
In any case, your surface area for attracting luck has expanded massively. You might meet a new friend or business partner at one of the random galas you decide to attend.
And if not, at least you broke out of the monotony and introduced some variety into your life. There really is no downside to putting yourself out there.
There’s something to be said about randomness. Every now and then, dropping yourself into unfamiliar territory, exposing yourself to new ideas and thinkers. Randomness can inspire creativity in other parts of your life.
So next time you hear about an event in your city, but can’t find anyone to attend it with you, GO ALONE. You truly never know who you’ll meet.
Thanks for listening. See you on the next episode of The Principle Podcast.
Principle #3: Leveraging Luck