How to get lucky, over and over again
How I’ve gotten lucky in my life and work, over and over again
Anyone who doesn’t feel like luck has played a role in their success has a God Complex. But, viewing luck as a sort-of scratch-off Lottery ticket is a bit one-dimensional.
Naval Ravikant, the modern-day philosopher of sorts who founded AngelList, argues that luck falls into one of four buckets…
[Luck #1]
The first kind of luck is blind luck. It’s getting lucky for no rhyme nor reason.
(I’d argue that the sixteen-year-old kid that goes viral on TikTok for ripping ass into a mason jar or pretending to fuck the Thanksgiving turkey is probably operating on blind luck…)
I experienced Blind Luck a year or so into advertising when a Belarussian Angel Investor with more money than God read something I had written online, thought I had some chops, flew me out to Minsk and had me work with several startups he had invested in. This opportunity, alone, gave me about ten years’ worth of experience in a matter of three weeks.
[Luck #2]
The second kind of luck is getting lucky through persistence, hard work and hustle. Essentially generating such a metric fuck ton of energy that luck can’t ignore you.
(Whether you love Gary Vaynerchuck or hate him, he’s an example of someone who has found a lot of success hustling at a pace and consistency that most folks can’t sustain…)
I’ve wanted the opportunity to write advertising for Red Wing ever since I picked up a pair of their boots at one of their stores here in Nashville, Tennessee years ago. I’ve referenced them dozens of times in my writing (if you’ve been following me for a while, you know this ain’t no shit).
Earlier this week, I wrote this piece over on LinkedIn.
Read it. Then, look at the comments. While there’s a slim chance it’ll turn into anything, use this as fuel to hustle, to take your shots, kick up dust and make a ruckus.
[Luck #3]
The third kind of luck is getting lucky with your eyes; getting lucky by spotting luck. If you’re skilled in a particular field, you will have the wisdom to see opportunities before others do and the conviction to get in early before others do. Opportunity isn’t unlike a financial investment in that the value increases substantially the earlier you take action because there is more time for compounding to occur.
(As much as we loathe the Ethereum billionaires, they spotted an opportunity before everyone else did and they had the conviction to act. Kudos to them…)
Three, maybe four years ago, I saw how much brands (and people) struggled with writing. I also saw how fatty, long-winded, 100-module courses were just internet marketers’ way of charging thousands of dollars for neatly-packaged horseshit.
So, I wrote a guide that took an hour to get through, smacked a price tag of just $97 on it and attempted to cram an assload of insight into just 10,000 words. How to write words that sell like a Florida Snow Cone Vendor on the hottest day of the year has sold 2,500 copies to date.
[Luck #4]
The fourth kind of luck is what I call The Bowie Effect. It’s getting lucky by building a unique character or brand or mindset that is impossible to replicate. When there is only one of something, you can charge a premium for that something.
(Some examples of individuals who have done this successfully are Joe Rogan with his podcast, Aubrey Marcus with Onnit, Elon Musk with his various enterprises and Beeple with his digital art. For better or for worse, there will only be one Joe Rogan, one Aubrey Marcus, one Elon Musk and one Beeple…)
When I leave this earth, I won’t die as the best writer to ever live (nor anywhere close to the best writer to ever live) but I will die one-of-a-kind. I will die having played this writing game my way, for better or for worse.
All that to say, here’s my parting advice to you as you attempt to cultivate luck in both your life and your work…
If your life and your work aren’t going the way you want them to, overwhelm the universe.
Create at such a high frequency that Lady Luck’s gaze can no longer miss you.
Be everywhere. Be prolific. Be impossible to ignore. Exist at such an astonishing beat that the world’s jaw will drop so low that some Executive Chairman can smack golf balls down its throat atop the 60th floor of some skyscraper.
Make the world question whether or not there isn’t one of you but ten of you.
Create.
Create.
Create.
Create some more.
If you’re young, when you’re young, sacrifice everything.
Sacrifice love if you have to (because if it’s love it won’t get away). Sacrifice sleep. Sacrifice peace of mind. Sacrifice sorry looks from family members at the dinner table. Sacrifice your pride.
Make ends meet through whatever means possible by day and once the light turns to darkness, follow your muse like a hound on the scent of some bloody, dying thing.
Work like this, unapologetically, for two, three, maybe four years and you’ll look up to find luck is waiting for you at every turn, every intersection, every road block. You’ll find that luck is everywhere, ever there, because your mind has changed to recognize it when you see it and because your body and skills have become strong and honed so you can run with the luck when the luck shows face.
And, as you’re doing all of this, try to do it your way. Not your father’s way. Not your parent’s way. Not your idol’s way. Your way.
You do this and you’ll get somewhere. I promise. You’ll get somewhere.
But, I digress.
By Cole Schafer.
