How to manufacture more luck 🍀

I used to think lucky people just... got lucky 🫣.

Like, you have to be at the right place at the right time, and leave it up to the universe to do its thing.

But boy was I wrong…

Every single highly successful person I've met who "got lucky" didn’t get magically lucky.

They strategically manufactured it.

I came across a concept that made this make SENSE.

It’s called "luck surface area" so the bigger the surface, the more likely a lucky break will happen.

The more you build, learn, and connect, the more chances you give good surprises to find you.

I really love this breakdown here. Because doing nothing yields nothing.

So here's how to actually get lucky (and how I did it for me):

1/ Be genuinely curious (stop being boring)

The opposite of luck isn't bad timing. It's being forgettable.

So how do you change this?

Invest in how you show up in conversation. Say meaningful things to others.

Show up in a way that will make people remember YOU. Get specific about what you've done and what makes you different.

This is why it's so important to nail your 60-second pitch because you never know when you're going to be in an elevator with someone that might change your life.

One of the best $10 investments I ever made: Warren Berger's book on asking better questions and it genuinely changed how I think, ask questions and have deeper conversations.

I talk about this more: why we suck at asking better questions.

Curiosity is magnetic.

People want to be around people who make them think differently.

2/ Say yes to things

Staying home is easy. But being comfortable has a cost.

Every time I said yes to a random event, a conference, a dinner I almost skipped, something happened.

A connection, a deal, a referral, a friendship that truly changed my life! In hindsight, those were always the highest ROI decisions I ever made 🫣.

Like choosing to host the LinkedIn Creators meetup last minute at SXSW or hosting my very first creators dinner and pitching myself for a brand (P.S. Flodesk was ah-mazing 🥹)

Each one of these opportunities brought me something money can’t buy: meaningful relationships, business opportunities, and belief in myself that I can make anything happen.

So say yes more times and you'll figure out the rest.

3/ Use the luck razor

If you're stuck between two options, pick the one that produces MORE luck.

Hanging with new people vs. Netflix: pick the one where something could happen.

Posting about your project vs. keeping it to yourself: pick the one that feels intimidating, but will be worth it.

For example, if you share about your project or a speaking gig, that will naturally attract more of those similar opportunities because you simply put yourself out there.

Ask yourself: which option grows my luck surface area? Then do that.

4/ Give without keeping score.

Make the introduction. Send the referral. Help someone for free.

I've done this more times than I can count, and I can't fully trace how but it ALWAYS comes back in dividends.

That's the point. A generous person in a generous network accumulates more luck than anyone keeping score.

Stop being stingy and start giving without expectations.

5/ Share more than feels comfortable.

Shameless self-promotion feels salesy, but trust me, that is a secret into manifesting your wildest goals!

It’s how I became a TEDx speaker, landed my first brand collaboration, sold out programs, and I can list 20 more things.

I still believe it's the highest leverage thing you can do.

If no one knows what you're doing, you can't manufacture luck (period).

It's the very reason I post on LinkedIn and Instagram every single day.

Create content about what you're learning. Talk about the rooms you're trying to get into.

That's literally how I get invited into those rooms because I talk about them first.

My newsletter, my brand deals, my TEDx talk, my 500K community, my partnerships with Salesforce, Adobe, NVIDIA, and LinkedIn.

I promise you, I’m really not trying to brag. I’m trying to make a point.

All of it traces back to showing up publicly and documenting my journey in real time.

Every piece of thing you put out is something you're putting out into the world.

And when you do that, magical things can happen.

It shows up when you least expect it after you put in the daily, boring reps.

So treat every project and idea as an experiment.

The goal isn’t to win it big.

It’s to grow your LUCK surface area. It means showing up more, sharing more, giving more, and saying yes.

And that's exactly what I will continue to do, and I hope you do too!

Dropping one of my favorite Creator’s gem of a lesson:

Reply and tell me: what's one thing you're going to say YES to this week?

Love,

Jean