How Important is Luck for Your Success?

Most people are prone to attribute success to personal qualities such as smartness, skills, talent, intelligence, hard work, and willingness to take risks. Perhaps you might felt that people less talented than you have enjoyed greater material success. You are not alone. This article will explain how luck is important for success and what you can do to increase it.

Professor Richard Wiseman gained an international reputation for researching into unusual areas of psychology. One of his well-known works, “The Lucky Factor,” explores the minds of lucky people. In this book, the Hertfordshire professor found that people who believe they are lucky will get more out of life than folks that think they’re unlucky. 

The luck discussed in this post is not the same luck as winning in the lottery. But it is luck you can create and actively seek to put yourself in the right place at the right time to generate more opportunities. In other words, if you have the right mindset, you too can come across more lucky opportunities.

Is Luck Important for Success? 

It does not take a scientist to pinpoint that some people are more fortunate than others. I have personally seen talentless individuals yet very successful financially. Or people who are not particularly smart, and yet again they reached success and wealth. But for those who only believe in luck, science has also explained how it feels.

A team of Italian scientists conducted a study to answer this very question. Their finds indicate that luck plays an important role in success, even more so than most people realize. Their finds replicated the well-known Pareto-Principle, predicting that a small number of the population will achieve success.

The aforementioned principle is very similar to the 80/20. Technically, 20 successful individuals held 44% of the total success.

The findings are irrefutable; there is a clear correlation between luck and success. A series of fortunate events was responsible for several people’s success even when talent was lower than many others. However, they also concluded that you must have a certain level of talent to exploit lucky opportunities.

The traditional success formula has always been to work hard, and you will achieve success. But working harder does not always pay off. The question at hand is, how can you increase your chances of luck?

Here are some ways to generate more opportunities which will ultimately increase your chances of finding luck.

Networking

Networking with the right person can be crucial for your business. However, you can’t luck to meet the right person unless you contact a certain number of people. Thus, the more you connect with others, the more your odds will increase.

You might be hoping to meet a high profile client or an investor. Get out and meet people. Strike up a conversation with the person behind you in line. Talk to the person sitting beside you at the bar in the restaurant. Sign-up for a meet-up group associated with your interests. You never know who you are going to run into.

Building a network can help you in many ways. Successful businesses are all about network and building relationships. Growing your connections will raise your profile and could bring opportunities your way.

Even if you are an introvert, there are ways you can work through your anxiety and energy and still connect with relevant people. In our day and age, you can use social media to network with people.

Be Open and Try New Things

Doing the same things over and over will lead to the same results. You have to be open to new things. Being adaptable and flexible are great skills that will pay off in the long run. Open yourself up for new experiences. Take chances.

Take the initiative and do a new task or learn a new skill. Perhaps you might get lucky doing your new activity. Start with something simple. Try doing something that you assumed you would not like.

The key to finding better odds is to try and keep on trying — a lot. You will not land onto a big customer unless you start to reach out to potential clients. The more you do, the more likely you are to find a big client.

Successful people are also persistent. Persistence and willingness to learn from what is not working will generate more luck. Thus, the importance of taking chances, reaching out, trying.

Think Big and Give

Have you ever heard of the Pygmalion Effect? It means positive expectations will positively influence performance. Similarly, negative influence will ultimately impact performance in a negative manner. You need to think big and positive. Your thoughts will influence your performance.

Along the same lines, when you give out of sincerity and without any expectations of reciprocity, it causes people to respond with kindness. People who see your willingness to give and will be compelled to give back to you. It could be in the form of advice, assistance, or different ways.

Conclusion, is Luck Important for Success?

Is luck important for success? While luck is not the leading factor to success, it is certainly a catalyzer. The first step to start attracting good luck is to shift any negative thoughts to positive ones. Several different studies support that negative energy leads to negative results. Additionally, people who were considered lucky, created, and acted on opportunities. Therefore, changing your behavior will improve your odds with small-scale luck.

On a large scale, luck cannot be controlled. However, you can control your response to the circumstances and how often you put yourself into positions to find luck.