How to Create Your Own Luck
“Build a unique character, a unique brand, a unique mindset, where then luck finds you.” – Naval Ravikant
I am a huge Naval Ravikant fan.
I’ve consumed his Tweets, interviews, blog, and podcast. I have uncovered a wealth of mindset changing knowledge.
Who is Naval Ravikant?
He is an entrepreneur, founder and angel investor in some of the largest tech companies: Uber, Twitter, Yammer, and many more. He is known for his thoughts on startups, investing, cryptocurrencies, wealth, and happiness.
But I like to think of him more as a modern-day philosopher.
One of the most valuable lessons I learned from Naval is about the four kinds of luck.
People say “you create your own luck” all the time. But is this really possible?
It turns out…yes, it is possible.
You create your own luck by putting yourself in a position where luck can find you.
In his podcast Naval discusses four kinds of luck.
- 1-Blind Luck – This is pure dumb luck, fortune, or fate. Where were you born? Who are your parents? Stuff you have zero control over.
- 2-Luck from Hustling – Luck that comes from hard work and persistence. Opportunities are created through sheer energy and activity. Things get “stirred up” from the high amount of activity. The more activity you generate, the more opportunities that arise.
- 3-Luck From Preparation – Luck that comes from being prepared to act on an opportunity. Having the ability to spot an opportunity. Other people do not notice, but you are skilled and attuned to spotting an opportunity. You are sensitive to luck.
- 4-Luck From Your Unique Character – Luck that is generated because you have built a unique mindset or brand. Opportunities arise because you are one of the most qualified people to assist. Somebody else spots an opportunity and turns to you to assist because you are uniquely qualified. Someone else’s blind luck becomes your opportunity.
Of these four types of luck, three can be directly influenced. Only Blind Luck is completely out of your control. You can influence the other types of luck through your actions and choices.
So, how do you create your own luck? Create more opportunities.
The more opportunities you have, the better your chances of getting “lucky” and hitting on a big one.
Any of the following will create more opportunities to improve your luck:
- Hustle to create opportunities.
- Be prepared to recognize opportunities.
- Build a unique and valuable brand to be in demand for opportunities.
Don’t wait for luck to find you.
Create your own luck.
The Blueprint
- Hustle…In a Smart Way – Yes, hustling can create opportunities. And hard work is the gateway drug to opportunity. But do it smartly. Don’t burn yourself out. And never, and I mean never, sacrifice presence for productivity. Present with people, productive with tasks.
- Be Prepared – Look at things differently than others do. Instead of looking on the surface, go deep in your industry or craft. Learn the ins an outs. Read trade journals. Network or join professional organizations. Learn from the best to understand how they view and approach things. The more you learn, the more prepared you are to spot opportunities.
- Build Your Unique Character – What are you uniquely qualified to do? Show the world your expertise. Write. Start a blog. Tweet. Post content on LinkedIn. Publish content on Medium. Send signal out to the world through content. Writing is one of the most powerful ways to demonstrate your expertise, build your brand, and attract opportunities.
The Architects
- Here is the episode from the Naval Podcast where he discusses the 4 kinds of luck:
- Naval’s discussion of the four kinds of luck Naval was inspired by a blog post by Marc Andreesen. You can read the full blog post that inspired Naval here: Luck and the Entrepreneur, Part 1: The four kinds of luck.
- A great way to familiarize yourself with Naval Ravikant is through the excellent book The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson. It is a great curation of Naval’s wisdom from all his various podcast appearances. You can download a free copy from the website: https://www.navalmanack.com/
- Another great way to get better acquainted with Naval Ravikant is by listening to his guest appearances on podcasts. I would recommend starting with his appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience. Naval was absolutely on fire in this episode.
- Give Naval Ravikant a follow on Twitter and go down the Naval rabbit-hole: https://twitter.com/naval
