The Art of Making Sh!t Up

Chapter 14Luck Is Like a Train

You can't get hit by luck if you don't stand in front of it. I listen to many people comment about how lucky I am, or how lucky others have been. How it is better to be lucky than good, that some people just have all the luck.

While there is a semblance of truth to those comments, they often ignore the central point to being “lucky”: You need to go out and put yourself in a position to be lucky. To the best of my knowledge, no one has ever been hit by a train without being in front of it. It is the same thing with the luck. You need to get out and put yourself in situations or environments where experiences and opportunities can happen. The Greek philosopher Seneca said, “Luck is the intersection of preparation and opportunity.” The main reason I put this quote in the book is to try to make myself look intelligent by quoting a Greek philosopher. But you already knew that.

Yet the essence of what Seneca said is most certainly true. Being lucky can only come about by deciding to do something and putting yourself out there. So in a sense luck can be manufactured. By preparing or getting good at something and then bringing that something into the world, you allow the possibility of serendipity to happen. If you compose amazing songs but keep them on your laptop, or are an amazing singer but only sing to yourself in the bathroom, there will be no chance for any kind of unexpected good fortune to come your way. If you want to make shit up you eventually ...