More on How to Be Lucky - Proximity, Practice, Persistence
A few months back, I wrote a post about why the clichés about luck are true, and how you could position yourself to take advantage. This post on Lifehack (How to Be in the Right Place at the Right Time - the photo above is from the post) advances some of the same ideas, and demonstrates how they work with an effective anecdote. The author proposes that luck is driven by:
Proximity - By putting yourself into situations where you have the experience and knowledge to prosper, you automatically drive up your likelihood of success.Practice - Using athletic accomplishments as an example (like the outstanding catch David Tyree made for the Giants in Super Bowl XLII), the author points out that many instances of luck are the result of thousands of hours of practice (and thus advises not giving up on practicing a skill too soon). Persistence - By simple math, being in a lot of places at a lot of times increases your probability of being in the right place at the right time. So even for mundane events and experiences, it's valuable to be "in the present" and looking for opportunities to learn and grow. As you can tell, I'm a passionate advocate that we (generally) control our own destiny. Doing it well requires a constant attention to your environment and an awareness of your ultimate goals. If, for example, I qualify for the Boston Marathon next month, it will not be because I had a lucky day - it will be the accumulation of setting the right goal, developing the plan to work towards it, executing the plan, and, maybe even most importantly, taking advantage of opportunities to become a better runner through extra practice or finding sources of motivation in everyday activities.
