“You’re so lucky.”
Maybe.
But luck rarely travels alone.
We’ve all heard it — maybe even said it. It’s often offered as a compliment, but lurking underneath is a dangerous oversimplification: the idea that success is a spin of the wheel, and the lucky few just happened to land on the right number.
The problem is, “luck” is often just the visible surface of a much deeper structure — one that includes privilege, preparation, psychological safety, and resource access. Without these, good fortune isn’t just unlikely — it’s invisible.
The Myth of the Equal 24 Hours
As I wrote in “24 Hours, 8 Billion Realities”, luck isn’t a universal currency. It’s minted from the privileges many don’t even realise they hold: time, energy, childcare, safety, space, and even the confidence to try.
Luck doesn’t explain why one person gets a call from a recruiter and another doesn’t — it doesn’t explain who has the mental bandwidth to say “yes” to an opportunity or who has to say “no” because the fridge is empty and the rent is due.
So when we frame a success story as “luck,” what we’re really doing is skipping the messy middle — and skipping the systems behind it.
When “Lucky Breaks” Aren’t Just Random
A “lucky break” tends to arrive only when:
- The person has the skills to capitalise on it.
- They’ve got the mental and emotional runway to recognise and respond.
- Their life circumstances aren’t set to survival mode.
- They’ve built networks that increase exposure to the right kind of noise.
In short, luck is what happens often when people have choices. Without these things, opportunity passes by — unnoticed, unfelt, ungrasped.
Psychological Safety: The Invisible Catalyst
One of the biggest enablers of so-called luck? Psychological safety. The quiet belief that you can speak up, mess up, try something new — and still belong.
If you grew up learning to read the room before opening your mouth… if failure came with shame instead of feedback… if work feels like walking a tightrope instead of a runway — then your risk appetite doesn’t look the same. And neither do your odds of success.
When we say someone’s “lucky,” we rarely see the invisible support net that made the leap possible.
Trading in the Currency You Have
“Luck” is seductive because it feels like magic. But real agency comes from conversion — turning what you do have into movement:
- Got time, but no money? YouTube University, open-source, library hacks.
- Got money, no time? Pay for prep, purchase speed, outsource the boring bits.
- Got neither? Trade energy for focus. Ask for help. Build in public. Let people see the grind — because visibility itself increases your odds of getting the so-called “lucky break.”
Gratitude and the Shifting Landscape
This is where gratitude becomes a quiet but powerful force. When we acknowledge that many of the opportunities presented to us are not of our own making, we create space to be thankful. The landscape of our lives — where we’re born, who we meet, what options are available — is often random. But how we navigate that landscape? That’s on us.
Over time, as we gain experience, resources, and confidence, we begin to shape the terrain we walk through. We choose our roles, our environments, and the people we surround ourselves with. That, too, is privilege: the freedom to decide not just how we respond to the world, but which world we engage with.
Recognising this doesn’t diminish your success — it grounds it. Gratitude makes space for grace, for empathy, and for the drive to extend opportunity to others still climbing the steeper paths.
Luck as a Muscle
According to psychologist Richard Wiseman, author of The Luck Factor, lucky people aren’t born different — they behave differently. And crucially, that behaviour can be learned.
Wiseman identifies four principles of “lucky” people:
- They maximise chance opportunities by being more open and observant.
- They listen to their intuition.
- They expect good fortune, which leads them to act on possibilities others ignore.
- And they turn bad luck into good by reframing setbacks and remaining resilient.
What this tells us is that luck functions like a muscle — the more you train it, the more you notice and respond to chance. You don’t just get luckier by waiting — you get luckier by moving. By saying yes to the meeting, by showing up at the event, by starting the conversation.
Every action is a rep. Every conversation is an exposure to randomness. The trick is showing up enough times that probability starts working for you.
“Lucky people create, notice and act upon the chance opportunities in their lives.” — Richard Wiseman
Purpose and the Philosophy of Luck
Robin Sharma, in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, shares that luck isn’t a cosmic accident — it’s often a by-product of clarity. When we live and work in alignment with our deepest values and purposes, we become more attuned to opportunities that matter. Luck, then, becomes a function of direction: knowing what you’re aiming for helps you see the openings when they appear.
Likewise, Deepak Chopra, in Creating Affluence, suggests that when your actions are aligned with your purpose, and when you detach from obsessing over outcomes, you invite synchrony — not because the universe changes, but because you do.
This isn’t mysticism. It’s mindset. Purpose filters the noise. And once you know what you’re here to do — or even just the direction you’re heading — the signals stand out. That “lucky moment” becomes legible.
A Final Thought
The world doesn’t need another mythologised success story that glosses over structural advantage. It needs more honesty — more people saying:
“Yes, I worked hard — but I also had help. I had time. I had space. I had safety.”
So let’s stop calling it luck. Let’s start naming what really made the difference.
And when fortune knocks? Open the door. But don’t forget to hold it open for someone behind you.
Further Reading
- Richard Wiseman – The Luck Factor: Goodreads
- Robin Sharma – The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: Official site
- Deepak Chopra – Creating Affluence: Amazon
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