Lucky People Try Stuff

If at first (or second or third) you don’t succeed...

I love mushroom hunting. I will talk about it with anyone who is patient enough to listen to me. But that doesn’t mean I’m any good at it.

Every spring, I search for the coveted morel. I go to various state parks. I visit various states. And I fail. I walk for miles and miles and rarely find anything.

But sometimes, oftentimes just before I’m ready to give up, I find those honeycomb-shaped beauties. It’s such a rush. 

I smiled while reading James Clear’s newsletter last week just days after I found morels. He writes:

"You can increase your surface area for good luck by taking action. The forager who explores widely will find lots of useless terrain, but is also more likely to stumble across a bountiful berry patch than the person who stays home. Similarly, the person who works hard, pursues opportunity, and tries more things is more likely to stumble across a lucky break than the person who waits."

Clear’s insights are relevant for those who are foraging for insights and not just berries or mushrooms. We often get “lucky” if we keep putting ourselves in situations where we’re more likely to experience such luck. Lucky people try stuff: