How to get lucky in life.
A thread...
If you toss a coin, the chances that it will land on heads/tails is 50%.
Let's call that luck.
We do not control it.
We can only observe it.
So it may seem that we can't do anything to do to influence it.
That's partly true.
Let's say you WANT atleast 1 heads.
That 1 heads will change your life!
If you toss the coin once, there is a 50% chance you get lucky.
However, if you tossed the coin 10 times, the probability is ~100%
Sorry what?
What changed?
Just one thing.
You tossed the coin 10 times!
One of the most powerful ways to get lucky, is to "toss the coin" as many times as you can.
In other words, set a process that sets you up for success.
Here are 10 such processes that you could use.
1. Send cold emails
You have at best a 10% chance of receiving a reply to a cold email.
However, if you send one every day to different people, it is almost certain you will receive a reply from someone!
And that might be all you need.
Half of my current team has been hired through cold emails.
I have got investors on board through cold emails.
Search for "cold emails" on twitter and you will come across mega success stories.
Here is a thread that might help
twitter.com/warikoo/status/1377827947378208775?s=20&t=7b5z_Z6MYpd348usOaHd7w
2. Engage with people online
You like somebody's work, send them an appreciation note.
You wish to know about something that was shared, ask questions.
You have your own experience to add, do not hesitate.
Today, the Internet allows us to be in direct connect with the most successful and smartest men and women in the world.
And they rarely come across thoughtful engagement.
Become that person, and you increase your chances to get lucky.
3. Pursue multiple side gigs
We have grown up in a culture of devotional commitment.
One career. One field. One industry.
We have just one life.
Why live it with just one identity?
Pursue multiple interests.
With no pressure of making money from them.
Purely for the joy of it
Who knows which one of them will click and how?
My sister, a professor, loves to dance. Almost 2 years back decided to start an IG channel for it.
Today, she teaches Zoology to undergrads.
And dance to students all across the world.
She chose teaching as a luck engine!
4. Be nice to people
People do not remember what you did to them.
They remember how you made them feel.
Life is too short to be rude, angry, hurt or conniving.
Being nice to others is the single biggest determinant of luck coming your way!
5. Wish people
On their birthdays, anniversaries, congratulate them on their accomplishments.
Be thoughtful.
Be nice.
Be authentic.
I recall sending a note to a founder wishing them well after a fund raise.
I did not know of the founder. Simply admired the product from a distance.
They asked if I was keen to invest.
I said yes.
I am sitting on a 8X on that investment in 3 years!
6. Build a process
Most of us are scared of losing what we have, because we do not know how to get it again.
Build a process, where you can get anything again.
Tasks you do repeatedly (tossing the coin), and then trust the process.
When I actively started creating content 2 years back, the only thing that I cared about was the process.
This process ensured that we reached 5.6Mn+ followers today.
Did I know we would get there in 2 years? No!
We got lucky.
twitter.com/warikoo/status/1342372219020709891?s=20&t=pMmIN2RUqI_4EQTjmOPtWQ
7. Resist the obvious
If you do what everyone does, you will most likely end up where everyone else ends up.
To get lucky (or to have results different from others), you have to build a habit of looking into the non-obvious.
And ask, where could that take me, if it works?
Resisting doesn't mean not doing the obvious.
It means, your default is not to accept the obvious choice as the right choice.
Instead to explore more choices.
twitter.com/warikoo/status/1441289666225786886?s=20&t=pMmIN2RUqI_4EQTjmOPtWQ
8. Surround yourself with those who genuinely believe they got lucky
It is counter-intuitive that most of those who (genuinely, not humblebrag) think they got lucky, are the ones who orchestrated that luck.
They know more about luck, that most others.
Hear their stories, follow them, read them, observe them, question them.
They will teach you about luck.
9. Stop complaining
If you complain, you basically say that someone else or something else is in charge.
That you are helpless.
And luck has a fascinating way of avoiding those who feel helpless.
10. Maximize opportunities
Recall tossing the coin?
You toss it enough times and you will get your desired outcome.
Problem is - people don't toss enough. Because that is a function of opportunities.
Build a system that generates opportunities endlessly -> luck is inevitable!
When I look back at my life, I feeling nothing but amazement.
I have had a wonderful life, beautiful ups, massive lows and incredible learning along the way.
But nothing truly explains why I am where I am in life
twitter.com/warikoo/status/1299225134662856705?s=20&t=MoaDCklM9obB-J7slUnj7w
All I know is that I kept tossing my coin.
I kept tossing my coin!
Every Friday I write a thread on personal growth, failures, startups, organization building and more.
You can follow me on @warikoo to get them on your feed.
Here is a list of all the 100+ threads I have written
twitter.com/warikoo/status/1300042004810944513?s=20