Luck Surface Area
You're in control of your aptitude for luck.
I recently learned about a formula that represents your aptitude for luck. This is pretty cool as it entails that you are in control of your own luck!
The concept, coined the Surface Area of Luck and originally suggested by Jason Roberts, stipulates that the amount of serendipity, which is your chance of being lucky, is directly proportional to the action you take towards your passion, multiplied by the number of people you effectively communicate your passion and activities to.
Or, if you prefer it in a formula form: L = D * T, where D = Doing, T = Telling.
How It Works
This concept seems straightforward enough. But let’s break it down a little further to see why and how it works.
When you pour energy into a passion, you develop an expertise, which is valuable no matter what kind of expertise it is. That value can then be magnified by the number people who are made aware of it, for two reasons.
The first being that when people become aware of your expertise, some percentage of them will take action to capture that value, but quite often it will be in a way you would never have predicted. Maybe they'll want to hire you, or partner with you, or invest in you. But in whatever way it happens, it will be serendipitous.
The second being the passion itself, which can be extremely infectious. In his blog post, Jason writes: “When you do something you're excited about, you will naturally pull others into your orbit. And the more people with whom you share your passion, the more who will be pulled into your orbit.”
Actionable Takeaways
Pursue passionate work.
You don’t have to quit your job and sell the house to take action on what you’re passionate about… yet. This might involve offering free services, volunteering, or side projects — it’s all about expanding your expertise and experience in your passion.
Keep expanding your network.
Work hard to expand your network by making new connections and contributing to them in meaningful ways. Be open, be generous, and put yourself forward in an authentic way as you connect and contribute to others.
Share your passion appropriately.
Be open to sharing the passion work that you are doing in ways that people might find interesting and useful. Blogging, YouTubing, podcasting, newsletter 🙂, or commenting on others’ posts. Ensure that your network knows what you are doing, what you care about, and what you’re capable of. It won’t be comfortable or come naturally for most people, but who said getting lucky is easy?
Be open to unexpected and unusual opportunities.
Luck tends to come in unexpected ways, from unexpected sources, and new opportunities often take you on unexpected paths forward. To catch luck, you’ll need to be open, flexible, and ready to take these opportunities, even when they don't align with your original plan.
Questions to ask myself:
Think of something 1) I’m telling and 2) I’m doing. How much energy am I putting into doing that thing? How much energy am I putting into talking about that thing? Which one do I need to increase/decrease in order to achieve the largest Luck Surface Area? What are some ways I can do more doing/talking?
TL;DR:
Increase your doing, increase your telling, and you will increase your luck. 🍀
Let’s all be luck-catchers!
Favourites of the Week:
Read: Start at the End by Matt Wallaert - written by a behavioural scientist, this book teaches you how to apply behaviour science into creating consumer products that elicit behaviour changes. Great read for entrepreneurs and product managers.
Listened: Deep Work (audiobook) by Cal Newport - “To simply wait and be bored has become a novel experience in modern life, but from the perspective of concentration training, it’s incredibly valuable.” Next time when I’m stuck in line, I’ll practice NOT picking up my phone to train that brain muscle :)
Have a great weekend!
Ingrid
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