An idea I wish I'd known years ago...

written by JOSH GESSNER | The Curious Competitor

An idea I wish I'd known years ago...

The 4 types of luck:

Naval Ravikant on creating luck:

"You create your own luck. You put yourself in a position to be able to capitalize on that luck." [img:vid-mavBuiTQH]

There are 4 types of luck:

1) Blind Luck

2) Luck from Hustle

3) Luck from Preparation

4) Luck from Uniqueness [img:vid-gihwNsuBa]

Type 1) Blind Luck:

When something completely out of your control happens.

• Where you are born

• Who you are born to

• Winning the lottery

Type 2) Luck from Hustling:

You increase your luck surface area (chances of getting lucky) by:

• Hustling

• Hard Work

• Persistence

Examples:

You land a job from networking with a lot of people.

You create viral content from posting everyday.

You stumble into something valuable as you experiment, and try new things.

Type 3) Luck from Preparation:

You become skilled and knowledgeable in a specific field, that you can spot luck.

Others who don't have that knowledge, can't take advantage.

Examples:

An experienced investor can recognize lucrative investment opportunities.

Successful entrepreneurs can identify promising business ventures.

A skilled worker can seize unexpected opportunities for career advancement.

Type 4) Luck from Uniqueness:

When luck seeks you out.

Your unique character, brand, mindset or skill brings you luck.

Examples:

Being an expert in a specialized niche, attracts unique opportunities.

A strong personal brand attracts partnerships, sponsorships, and endorsements.

Sharing your story, experiences, or perspectives online can lead to building significant relationships.

How do we create our own luck?

Here are my 5 favorite ways I found:

1) Cold email / DM:

When I was trying to get recruited to a D1 program out of Australia, I cold emailed 100+ coaches.

Although I didn't get any offers out of it - it lead to a connection that lead to multiple offers down the road.

I started DMing people here on Twitter.

DMing has asymmetrical upside:

Creating a significant network for spending 30 seconds sending the DM.

2) Create motion by experimenting.

To get a different output, you need to change the input.

If something isn't working, keep trying new things until something sticks.

Iteration has been my biggest driver for improvement in baseball.

Whether its:

• Improving my mechanics

• Increasing pitching velocity

• More movement on my pitches

My biggest break-throughs have come from trying new things and seeing what sticks.

3) Surround yourself with people better than you.

In 2018 I decided to move to Seattle Washington to train at a baseball facility called Driveline Baseball.

At the time I could only throw 88mph.

I trained and lived with guys who threw 90+mph.

When I left, I was up to 95.

These people expose you to:

• Ideas

• Perspectives

• opportunities

You wouldn't have had access to.

4) Share your ideas online.

When you share your ideas online, you attract like minded people.

This can lead to significant opportunities down the line.

This is one of the reasons I committed to consistenly writing on Twitter!

5) Become an expert

When you become an expert in a field, luck finds you.

Through my experience with the yips, I have become an expert in the niche.

Sharing my thoughts on the topic, has lead to many reaching out for my advice.

Wherever possible, I live by the Luck Razor (from Sahil Bloom):

"When choosing between two paths, always choose the path that has a larger luck surface area. Ask yourself: Which of the two paths is more likely to lead to me getting lucky? Act accordingly."

Main Lesson:

You don't have to wait for luck to find you. You can create your own luck.