The story

Hey there charmer

Happy Sunday, Canada & USA battle for gold in men’s hockey. With two star-studded teams, who’ll be the luckier one?

How to put luck on your side

My 9-year-old daughter wants to write a book. Here’s its intro:

Luck is like magic. It’s mysterious, and exciting, and impossible to explain. It can’t be explained by equations of logic or even books. You just have to believe.

And what I’ve learned, maybe she’s not too far off.

My wife and I have what my sister-in-law coined “Wade Luck,” which is an acknowledgement that, whether good or bad, the opposite is also true.

• When I was diagnosed with cancer, I also won a Le Creuset crockpot

• When I was laid off, a credit card error gave us 3 months of free groceries

• When my son broke his collarbone, we got a significant break on hockey fees

This past Friday, I celebrated 29 years (good luck) since I needed a new kidney (bad luck). I’m forever grateful for the transplant.

And therein lies the difference.

Why are some people luckier than others?

Research suggests lucky individuals get more opportunities by increasing their own “luck surface area”.

How?

Positive attitudes and resilience.

From these two factors, you’re more optimistic, you have a better mindset, and a good attitude.

You’re open to new experiences, encountering the unexpected, and engaging with strangers.

You trust your intuition more, take more risks and pursue newfound opportunities.

And when life gets you down, when faced with misfortune, you focus on the positive side, you see the solution in bad situations rather than dwell in that negative hole.

Luck falls to those who are prepared with positive attitudes when opportunity knocks

I’m still on the job hunt, but these past few months have brought countless opportunities.

• Someone found my website and reached out. They’re a client with more projects in the queue.

• A friend asked me what I do. In my reply, I told them what I’d do if they were to hire me, with some examples. They hired me.

• A former colleague connected me with another former colleague, who referred me to the hiring manager for a role. My interview is next week.

There's actually a word for the kind of person who consistently turns bad situations into good ones. What have I been describing this whole time? There's a name for it.

The Pebble
High agency

George Mack, a writer and entrepreneur who studies high-performers, went viral years ago with his 30-minute essay on high agency.

One could argue that high-agency people turn bad situations into good ones; they see opportunity and have what some might call “luck.”

The challenge
Increase your luck surface area

Jason Roberts, a serial entrepreneur, said this: “If there’s one thing I’ve discovered in recent years, it’s this. The amount of serendipity that will occur in your life, your Luck Surface Area, is directly proportional to the degree to which you do something you’re passionate about combined with the total number of people to whom this is effectively communicated.”

**Luck Surface Area = (Passionate Doing) × (Effective Telling)** 

• Passionate Doing (Actions): Work on projects you’re passionate about, develop expertise, take calculated risks, and push past your comfort zone.

• Effective Telling (Visibility): Share your work, communicate your passion, and make your efforts known to a wider audience.

Go increase your luck. It’s as simple as being happy, meeting people, and doing what you love.

Here’s hoping them Canadian boys love what they’re doing