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Understanding the 4 Types of Luck Will Make You Instantly Luckier
Most people understand luck as something that simply happens to you, a gift of the universe. If you were born with an exceptional talent for math, basketball, or playing the French horn, that’s luck. Dealt three aces at the poker table? You’re in luck. Just happened to bump into that potential client you were hoping to meet at a networking event? Luck again.
But as obvious as this understanding of luck seems, science suggests it’s actually wrong. While pure chance certainly plays a hefty role in the course of our lives, there are significant differences between people who consider themselves lucky and those who do not. Research shows if you change your mindset and behavior, you can make yourself luckier.
How do you do that exactly? According to a classic book on the subject published way back in 1978, the first step is to get clear on exactly what luck is. In Chase, Chance, & Creativity: The Lucky Art of Novelty, neurologist James Austin argues there are actually four types of luck you need to understand if you want to become luckier.
1. Blind luck
This classic book came to my attention via a Twitter thread from writer and entrepreneur Sahil Bloom that explains the four types of luck outlined in Austin’s book. Bloom kicks off the discussion with the…