“I believe that people make their own luck by great preparation and good strategy.” —Jack Canfield
Webster describes luck as “the things that happen to a person because of chance: the accidental way things happen without being planned.”
I disagree with Webster. I believe that the harder you work, the luckier you get. I have been told I am lucky. I would say I am blessed because I have learned what hard work is, and because of that I am able to create circumstances that make me seem lucky.
Yes, chance plays a part, but a small part. Luck can be created. Here are a few tips to be lucky:
| 1. | Meet more people. You can’t luck into meeting the right person unless you meet a number of people: The more people you meet, the better your odds of getting lucky. Get out. Meet people. You never know whom you might meet, especially if you assume good things will happen. |
| 2. | Try more. You would love to sell to bigger customers; try. A lot. You would love to connect with influential people in your industry; try. A lot. Most incredibly lucky people are incredibly persistent. They try and try and try some more. Many of those efforts don’t pan out. But the ones that do are worth it. |
| 3. | Expand your boundaries. Doing the same things day after day typically yields the same results (insanity). Open up to different experiences, think outside your comfort zone. The more you do, the more likely that good things will happen. |
| 4. | Ask. Luck often comes down to the right person saying yes: to your idea, to your pitch, to your proposal, to your request. No one can say yes until you ask, though. Want something? Ask for it. Many people will say no. A few will say yes. |
People will assume you got lucky. You will know you made your own luck.
“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” —Thomas Jefferson
Have a great weekend.
—Vijay
About Friday Food for Thought (FFfT)
I frequently attend conferences and retreats on entrepreneurship and leadership and while I am away, the J2 team picks up the slack, allowing me to learn to be better at what I do. I wanted to share what I was learning with my team, so I created the weekly FFfT emails in November of 2015 and have been writing them ever since.
Before long, the J2 staff began sharing the FFfT emails with their friends and family and now other leaders have asked to be included, which led to the creation of this newsletter. I hope you enjoy!