Ep 587 | How to Get Lucky: The Science and Strategy of Creating Opportunity

Thank you for joining me today. It's Brian Gubernick, and welcome to the No Days Off Podcast, where we believe that every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. Today we are going to talk about luck. Not the kind of luck where you cross your fingers and you just hope you have some. Not, not superstition. Not lottery tickets, not the craps table. We're actually talking about luck as what I would call a strategic force, something that you can actually manufacture. Because here's the truth, here's what I've seen: lucky people aren't always born with an edge. They actually build systems that make luck more likely. Today I want to show you how to do exactly that. So first, let's level set. What even is luck? I think there's two ways to look at luck, and we're gonna, we're gonna kind of combine these two ways. First, we have the way that Naval Ravikant, one of my favorite guys— you've heard about him so many times if you've been listening to the No Days Off podcast— Naval Ravikant says there's actually four types of luck: random luck, hustle-driven luck, prepared luck, like luck we prepared for, and luck that seeks you out. What I've learned though in studying a little bit more is that Naval kind of built that, you know, his take on the 4 types of luck, on this original framework that came from a neurologist named James Austin who came up with it in the late 1970s. Here's the modernized version. I'm gonna call it your luck playbook. Here's the types of luck when you combine again what James Austin had originally laid out with some of what Naval shares. There are 4 types of luck. Type 1 is blind luck. Now, this is the totally random luck. This is the win the lottery luck. This is the you're born into the right family luck. You can't control any of this. You really can't influence any of this. It's just blind luck. Type 2 luck is luck from motion. This is where you make your own luck through energy and hustle and exposure. For example, you meet your next investor at a networking event that you almost skipped. Because you didn't skip it, you had exposure, and because of that motion, you met the investor. So again, luck from motion, just being out there. Having conversations, displaying energy, hustling. That's Type 2 luck. Type 3 is luck from preparation. You develop skills that allow you to see and to seize opportunities that others miss. This is like, uh, spotting a business idea because you're such a master of your craft. You're lucky because you were prepared. You had mastered you know, what it is you do. And as a result, you're able to see things that others can't. That's Type 3 luck, luck from preparation. And then Type 4 is luck from reputation. This is actually the rarest form of luck. This is where luck finds, finds you because of who you've become, your character, your credibility, the value that you deliver. People start to bring you opportunities because you're trusted and respected and proven. That's luck from reputation. Again, it's the rarest, but arguably, arguably, it's the best type of, type of, of luck. Now, why does this matter? Well, luck matters to performance. When people say he or she got lucky, it can oftentimes seem dismissive, but, but here's the kicker. I think high performers engineer luck. They expand the surface area where luck can land. Luck is not magic. Luck is a side effect of, of working hard and showing up consistently. That would be Type 2 luck. Luck's a side effect of being curious, being ready, being prepared. That's Type 3 luck. Luck's a side effect of becoming someone people want to work with. That's luck from reputation. That's Type 4 luck. See, I think that luck, when you really analyze it, is just a lagging indicator. It's a lagging indicator of how you move throughout this world, throughout life. And, and, and at the end of the day, I mean, the truth is, the better your habits The better your network, larger your network, the better your reputation, the luckier you tend to get, not so ironically. So knowing all this, I think it's important to now dive into, well, how do I go about increasing my luck? Here's how I think you become luckier without ever having to rely on the dice. Relying on chance. Number 1, I think you've got to increase surface area. We just said that term a little bit ago. This is your Type 2 luck. Remember, Type 2 is luck from motion. So, increase your surface area by simply saying yes more often. Go to the event, make the phone call, launch the idea, send the message. The more motion that you have, the more exposure you have. The more exposure you have, the more randomness that magically collides with opportunity. But it's not magic at all. You, you get the sarcasm there. So number 1, increase your surface area, which is really impacting Type 2 luck. Number, number 2 is to sharpen your lens. Remember, sharpen your lens would be Type 3 luck, which is around luck from preparation. Sharpen your lens. What do I mean when I say that? Study your craft. Learn to see patterns. Luck looks like intuition to outsiders, but it's really more about pattern recognition, and that sort of pattern recognition is only earned through experience and mastering your craft. We have a lot of people in real estate here. Think about real estate. The best deals They oftentimes don't look like deals at first glance. It's your lens that sees what others tend to miss. So, again, another tactic to increase your luck, sharpen your lens. And then number 3, become a magnet. This goes to our Type 4 luck. Remember, Type 4 luck is about luck from reputation. So, become a magnet. What do I mean when I say that? I mean, build trust, add value, be the person others call when opportunities start to show up. This is about brand and reputation and consistency. I think your calendar and your character, they need to align. And when that happens, the world knows what you stand for and what you can execute. People bring deals to Warren Buffett. Because he's Warren Buffett. Warren doesn't chase luck. Luck tends to chase Warren Buffett. And then number 4, avoid victim language. If you're always blaming a lack of luck, you're denying your own control, your own agency. Don't say things like, "I never get breaks." Say things like, "Where I could build the system that that makes the break show up? Or maybe ask the question, where can I build this system that would make luck show up? It's a really good question. So, I have an action step for all of our No Days Off Nation. Here's your challenge this week. I want you to pick one area of your life, business, health, relationships, whatever it may be, and I want you to ask, Where can I increase the surface area for luck to find me? Where can I increase the surface area for luck to find me? Then I want you to take a small step. Maybe that's sending a message to a possible mentor. Maybe it's reconnecting with a client. Maybe it's sharing what you're working on publicly. You've been quiet about it, but you share publicly and it increases surface area. Maybe it's launching that newsletter, something that creates more exposure and hustle and motion so that you, you find yourself a bit luckier. Remember, you don't get lucky by waiting, you get lucky by moving. And luck certainly does not scale to those who hide. It scales to those who show up, especially those that show up daily. If this particular episode really, really makes sense to you, I want to ask you a favor. I'm going to increase my surface area here today. I want you to share this episode with someone who you think keeps waiting for luck to maybe strike. It's not about being lucky, it's about being ready when luck shows up and creating conditions where, where frankly it can't, it can't ignore you. This is kind of what No Days Off is about being in motion and things tend to fall into place. That's lucky. That's all I have for you today, the No Days Off Podcast. Thank you so much for listening, and remember, every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. So let's get after it.