Luck isn’t random – open the door to serendipity

What if being lucky isn’t about random chance but instead about how you choose to move through the world? Some people seem to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time, bumping into old friends, or discovering unexpected opportunities. It turns out, being lucky often has less to do with external forces and more to do with something very simple: listening to yourself.

In fact, social science experiments have shown that lucky people tend to make decisions based on how they feel, not just what seems logical. Instead of always choosing the most efficient, convenient or cost-effective path, they consult their inner compass and trust their intuition. This subtle but powerful practice often leads to delightful serendipities that might never occur if they stuck strictly to conventional logic.

The intuitive path to luck
Our minds are wired to make rational decisions. When we have choices in front of us — whether it’s picking a route to work, deciding what to buy, or choosing where to eat — we’re trained to calculate based on a myriad of practical factors. It’s how we’ve been taught to manage time, save money and optimize our lives.

But what if, in the mode of making the “best” decision, we miss out on experiences that could bring us unexpected joy? That’s where intuition comes in. Lucky people don’t just follow a logical algorithm; they “feel it out,” trusting that inner nudge even when it doesn’t seem to make sense. And more often than not, those gut feelings guide them to experiences that create their own kind of magic.

You can learn how to cultivate your intuition in my TEDx talk — You Need Luck to Succeed.

Serendipitous moments are just a feeling away
Yesterday my son Keenan was enthused to share a lucky coincidence. He was on his motorcycle and heading over to Oakland to deal with his storage unit. At the outset of his journey, he realized he had to fill up on gas — and there were four gas stations readily available.

The first station was the most convenient: right off the road and good prices. But when he glanced further, there was construction everywhere. Technically, it was still open, but the chaos of the scene made him feel like it wasn’t worth the hassle. Something inside told him to keep going.

And it was in that moment, that he was reminded to simply ask, “What station do I FEEL to go to?”

So with several other stations up ahead, he chose the one that felt right — no logic behind it, just a feeling. He pulled into the station, hopped off the bike, and started to fill up. Then, he turned around, and there was Adrien, his good friend. They’d been trying to catch up for weeks.

Keenan and Adrien had been planning to have dinner, but Adrien’s schedule had gotten tangled with family commitments, so the plans were canceled. Yet there they were, by pure “coincidence,” standing together at a gas station, catching up just as they had wanted.

As Keenan shared, that lucky encounter left him smiling the rest of the day. Before he pulled over at that gas station, he had a little thought in his head: Something’s going to happen here. And sure enough, it did.

The science of luck
This kind of serendipity might seem like pure chance, but research shows that lucky people create these moments by trusting their instincts. As I teach in my Quantum Surfing courses — and backed by studies by psychologist Richard Wiseman — people who consider themselves lucky are more open to possibilities and tend to notice opportunities others might miss.

One of the key factors? Intuition.

By checking in with themselves and making decisions based on what feels right, lucky people are essentially creating the conditions for good things to happen. They’re not locked into rigid plans; they stay flexible and open to what the moment presents.

The power of luck in entrepreneurship

For entrepreneurs, cultivating luck isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s a game changer. When you step into what I like to call “lucky flow,” you open yourself up to a world of possibilities that might otherwise pass you by. In the fast-paced world of startups and innovation, intuition can be just as valuable as data-driven decisions. By trusting yourself and following the less obvious paths, you increase the chances of making those critical connections — whether it’s securing funding, closing a sale or meeting a future business partner.
Luck also plays a significant role in those pivotal moments when you need fresh insight. Sometimes, the breakthrough idea or necessary pivot doesn’t come from crunching numbers or following a rigid plan. It emerges when you allow yourself to flow with circumstances, picking up on subtle cues that might otherwise go unnoticed. Cultivating luck as an entrepreneur means staying open to those moments of intuition and trusting that your instincts can guide you toward success in unexpected ways — which is exactly what savvy founders are doing when they operate in Founder Mode.

Read “Ditch the Bad Startup Advice: Founder Mode is the cheat code for thriving in a perpetually changing world” in last week’s issue of The Mavericks Game.

Designing your own luck

The takeaway is simple: by paying attention to your feelings in the moment, you can steer your life toward unexpected opportunities. Next time you’re faced with a choice — whether it’s as small as picking a gas station or as big as choosing a new job — try asking yourself what feels right, not just what’s the most logical.

It’s in those moments of trusting yourself that you might just find a little more magic in your day. Serendipity isn’t something that happens to you; it’s something you invite in by listening to the quieter part of yourself. In that sense, luck is less about random chance and more about opening the door to possibilities.

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