The Art and Science of Luck
Sahil Bloom wrote an essay about luck. Not the four-leaf-clover kind. The kind you can actually influence.
He references a study where self-proclaimed "lucky" and "unlucky" people had to count photos in a newspaper. The lucky group finished in seconds. The unlucky group took two minutes.
Turns out page two said in giant letters: "Stop counting, there are 43 photographs."
One group saw it. The other didn't. Same opportunity, different outcome.
Bloom calls this "luck surface area." The idea is simple: you can't control what happens to you, but you can control how much surface you offer for things to happen. Meet more people. Try more things. Pay attention to giant text on page two.
His rule of thumb: when choosing between two paths, pick the one with the larger luck surface area.
It's a short read. And unlike most advice about "manifesting your destiny," this one doesn't require believing in anything besides noticing what's in front of you.
The Art & Science of Luck — by Sahil Bloom