How important is luck in achieving success? This question has intrigued mathematicians and physicists for years. In a study from Italy, researchers examined and mathematically modeled how people become successful in terms of wealth, impact and influence. Their finding was surprising: while talent follows a normal distribution, success follows a power curve. Over the course of a few decades, only 2% of people rise to the top. What sets this 2% apart? Luck.
But before you think luck is purely random, take heart—it can be cultivated. Psychologist Richard Wiseman’s research shows that lucky people behave differently from unlucky people.
In one experiment, participants were asked to count photographs in a newspaper. High achievers meticulously focused on counting, but “lucky” participants approached the task with curiosity and openness. Consequently, by page two, they noticed a large headline: “Stop counting, there are 43 photos.” And as a result, they completed the task faster and more accurately—simply because they were engaged with the content and open to unexpected opportunities.
Lucky people behave differently from unlucky people.
When the Italian researchers studied how the top 2% of people rise to extraordinary success, they found the key isn’t being the most talented or driven. The differentiator is luck, and the most powerful combination is having moderate talent and magnificent luck. Those who achieve life-changing results know how to harness luck to their advantage.
This means improving your luck can significantly impact your trajectory. By cultivating behaviors that attract luck, you open the door to more opportunities, faster growth and greater impact.
The BE LUCKY E-book and Lucky Journal
To help you amplify your success, I’m excited to share my e-book, BE LUCKY: Amplify Your Success with Everyday Luck, along with the Lucky Journal from my Quantum Surfing courses. These resources will guide you in adopting lucky behaviors and tracking synchronicities so you can live in a flow of serendipity.
In our busy, grind-driven lives, we often lose touch with the behaviors that make us luckier. Take curiosity, for example. As children, we’re naturally curious and constantly exploring the world. But as adults, we rely on to-do lists, ticking off tasks and believing we’re getting closer to our goals. In reality, we’re often missing the unexpected opportunities right in front of us.
This tunnel-vision blocks luck. We’re so focused on making things happen that we forget to stay open to serendipity—like meeting the perfect business partner at a random event or discovering an insight that shifts your entire strategy.
How the Lucky Journal Can Help You
At the end of my e-book, you’ll find the Lucky Journal, the same tool I use in my Quantum Surfing courses to track daily serendipities. Every day, we record our lucky moments—uncanny coincidences, delightful serendipities and hard-to-fathom synchronicities.
This practice sharpens your awareness and makes you more receptive to future lucky breaks. By noting how you felt, what happened before, and what unfolded after, you begin to see patterns and develop the ability to be lucky on purpose.
Print the journal and start noticing your own lucky moments. As you stay open and curious, you’ll realize that luck isn’t random—it’s shaped by your behaviors.
As those Italian researchers shared, the most successful people, it turns out, are moderately talented and magnificently lucky. If you want to reach the pinnacles of success, it’s time to embrace the power of luck.
Ready to amplify your success with everyday luck? Download the BE LUCKY e-book and Lucky Journal here and begin your journey toward more opportunities, faster growth and greater impact.