HOW TO GET LUCKY by Millionaire Simon Squibb (Ted Talk) #Luck #Hack #Entrepreneur

Simon Squibb
16 Jun 202121:46

Summary

TLDRThe speaker explores the concept of luck, asserting it's not solely a matter of chance but can be influenced. They categorize luck into uncontrollable random occurrences and controllable factors, emphasizing that the latter makes up 98% of one's life. To 'hack' luck, they propose three principles: taking risks, embracing fear, and knowing one's destination. The speaker shares personal anecdotes and historical examples to illustrate how persistence and a positive perception of risk can transform one's fortune, ultimately suggesting that luck is a mindset that can be cultivated.

Takeaways

  • 🔮 Luck can be influenced: The speaker suggests that only about 2% of one's life is governed by uncontrollable luck, with the remaining 98% being subject to influence and 'hacking'.
  • 🚀 Embrace risk-taking: A key principle to increase luck is taking more risks, as it opens up opportunities and leads to learning from failures.
  • 💡 Reframe fear: Fear is a natural response to risk, but it can be harnessed as a source of energy and motivation, pushing individuals to prepare and perform better.
  • 🎯 Know your destination: Having a clear purpose or destination in life helps in making decisions, planning, and recognizing opportunities that align with one's goals.
  • 🤝 Persistence pays off: Persistence is crucial for success, and the speaker emphasizes the importance of continuous effort, even in the face of no immediate response or success.
  • 💰 Money as fuel: Money is viewed as a means to an end, not the end itself, and understanding one's true destination helps in determining the 'fuel' needed for the journey.
  • 🏹 The power of sales: Sales can be a powerful tool for business growth, and the speaker shares personal experiences of how consistent outreach led to achieving business goals.
  • 🤔 Perception of luck: Luck is often a matter of perception, and how one views their experiences can significantly impact their future actions and opportunities.
  • 🧗‍♂️ Overcoming adversity: The speaker's personal story illustrates how overcoming significant challenges can lead to the development of resilience and a stronger foundation for taking risks.
  • 📈 Long-term vision: Viewing life as a long game rather than a series of short-term goals helps in staying persistent and focused on the ultimate destination.
  • 🌟 Transformative experiences: The speaker suggests that transformative experiences, such as surviving a life-altering event, can shift one's perspective on risk and luck.

Q & A

  • What is the speaker's main argument about luck?

    -The speaker argues that while some aspects of luck are uncontrollable, such as where you are born, the majority of one's life (98%) involves luck that can be influenced and 'hacked' through certain principles.

  • According to the speaker, what percentage of our lives is influenced by random occurrences of luck?

    -The speaker suggests that only about 2% of our lives is influenced by uncontrollable, random occurrences of luck.

  • What is the first principle the speaker suggests to increase one's chances of luck?

    -The first principle is to take a lot of risks, as the speaker believes that the more risks one takes, the luckier they become.

  • How does the speaker relate risk-taking to success in their personal experience?

    -The speaker shares that by taking the risk of bringing someone else in to run their company, they saw the business grow much faster, leading to the realization that taking risks can lead to success.

  • What is the role of fear in the process of taking risks, as per the speaker?

    -The speaker explains that fear is a natural part of taking risks, but it should be embraced as it provides energy, passion, and can lead to satisfaction and success once conquered.

  • What is the second element the speaker suggests to increase one's chances of luck?

    -The second element is knowing your destination, which means having a clear understanding of one's purpose and goals in life.

  • Why is it important to have a clear destination in life, according to the speaker?

    -Having a clear destination helps one to be prepared for the journey, know what resources are needed, and stay focused on the long-term goal, which in turn increases the chances of luck.

  • What is the third principle the speaker suggests for increasing luck?

    -The third principle is persistence, which involves continuing to pursue one's goals even in the face of challenges or lack of immediate success.

  • How does the speaker describe the relationship between persistence and sales success?

    -The speaker illustrates that top salespeople are persistent, reaching out to potential clients multiple times over an extended period, which leads to success in sales.

  • What is the speaker's personal example of persistence in sales?

    -The speaker shares their experience of persistently reaching out to 50 desired clients over nine years, which eventually resulted in all of them becoming clients.

  • How does the speaker's story of the boy jumping into the river during the Hiroshima bombing illustrate the concept of luck?

    -The story shows that what might seem like a risky action (jumping into the water) turned out to be a lucky one due to unforeseen circumstances (the bombing), suggesting that sometimes taking risks can lead to luck.

  • What does the speaker suggest about the perception of luck?

    -The speaker suggests that luck is largely a matter of perception and that one can choose to view life events as lucky, which can lead to a more fortunate life experience.

  • How does the speaker relate the concept of 'hacking' luck to the stories and principles shared?

    -The speaker relates 'hacking' luck to the idea that by understanding and applying the principles of risk-taking, knowing one's destination, and being persistent, one can increase their chances of experiencing good luck.

Outlines

00:00

🍀 The Concept of Luck and Its Hackability

The speaker introduces the concept of luck, questioning the audience's perception of their own luck and suggesting that luck can be influenced. They argue against the notion that hard work alone brings luck, instead proposing that taking risks is the key to increasing one's luck. The speaker shares their personal experience of growing a business and how bringing in a talented individual to run it led to greater success. They emphasize that while there is uncontrollable random luck, such as the place of one's birth or unforeseen events like a pandemic, the majority of one's life is subject to controllable luck, which can be influenced by taking risks and learning from failures.

05:04

🚀 Embracing Risk and Fear for Enhanced Luck

This paragraph delves into the importance of risk-taking and the role of fear in the journey towards greater luck. The speaker explains that taking risks can lead to more failures, but also to more learning and success. They discuss the misunderstood nature of fear, which can be a powerful motivator when harnessed correctly. The speaker encourages the audience to see fear as an opportunity for growth and to take risks as a means to increase their chances of luck, suggesting that the more risks one takes, the more likely they are to experience luck.

10:07

🎯 The Importance of Knowing Your Destination for Luck

The speaker emphasizes the significance of having a clear destination in life to increase one's luck. They argue that knowing one's purpose and destination helps in making informed decisions about the journey, such as what resources to gather and what path to take. The speaker shares an anecdote about a restaurant owner who knew his destination and was not swayed by the prospect of wealth and expansion, illustrating the power of having a clear goal. They suggest that having a destination can transform one's life and increase the likelihood of encountering good luck.

15:10

🔄 Persistence as a Catalyst for Luck

In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the role of persistence in achieving luck. They share insights from a study about salespeople, highlighting that the most successful ones are those who persist in reaching out to potential clients, even without immediate responses. The speaker's own experience of persistently reaching out to desired clients over nine years is shared as an example of how persistence can lead to achieving goals and increasing one's luck. They argue that persistence, combined with risk-taking and embracing fear, can significantly transform one's life and luck.

20:16

🌈 Transforming Perception of Luck Through Personal Experiences

The speaker concludes by sharing personal experiences that transformed their perception of luck, turning bad luck into good through persistence, risk-taking, and embracing fear. They recount stories of individuals who faced extreme situations, such as the boy in Hiroshima who survived the nuclear bombing due to a risky jump into the water, illustrating how risk can sometimes lead to luck. The speaker invites the audience to share their stories of luck, emphasizing that luck is a concept that can be hacked and influenced by one's actions and mindset.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Luck

Luck is a concept often associated with random chance or fortune that can be good or bad. In the video, it's suggested that while some aspects of luck are uncontrollable, such as the place of one's birth, a significant portion of one's life experience can be influenced by 'hackable' luck. The speaker argues that understanding the nature of luck can lead to its manipulation, emphasizing that taking risks and embracing fear can increase one's perceived luck.

💡Risk

Risk, in this context, refers to the possibility of danger, loss, or failure in the pursuit of an objective. The video posits that taking risks is a fundamental principle to increasing one's luck. The speaker shares personal experiences and examples, such as bringing in a new person to run a company, which led to greater success, illustrating that embracing risk can lead to positive outcomes and is a key component in 'hacking' luck.

💡Fear

Fear is presented in the video as a natural response to perceived threats or risks. However, it's also described as a misunderstood concept that, when embraced and not avoided, can lead to personal growth and increased chances of success. The speaker explains that fear can be a motivator, pushing individuals to prepare and perform better, and that overcoming fear can result in satisfaction and joy.

💡Destination

Destination, as used in the video, symbolizes one's life goal or purpose. Knowing one's destination is crucial for increasing one's luck because it provides direction and clarity on what is needed to achieve that goal. The speaker emphasizes that having a clear destination helps in making informed decisions and preparing adequately for the journey ahead, which in turn influences the luck one experiences.

💡Persistence

Persistence is the continued effort to achieve a goal despite difficulties or obstacles. In the video, it's highlighted as another key principle in increasing one's luck. The speaker discusses the importance of not giving up and maintaining a long-term view, using the example of a salesperson who, through consistent communication over nine years, managed to secure all intended clients.

💡Random Occurrences

Random occurrences are events that happen by chance and are not influenced by human actions. The video script mentions that some aspects of luck, such as the place of one's birth or the COVID-19 pandemic, are random and beyond individual control. However, the speaker argues that these random elements constitute only a small fraction of one's life experience, leaving room for influenceable luck.

💡Anomalies

Anomalies refer to things that deviate from what is standard, normal, or expected. In the context of the video, anomalies are the exceptions to the speaker's theory of 'hackable' luck. While the speaker believes in the principles that can increase luck, they acknowledge that there will always be outliers and situations that do not fit the pattern.

💡Sales

Sales, in the video, is highlighted as a powerful tool for business growth and is tied closely with the concept of persistence. The speaker shares insights from a study about successful salespeople and their habits, emphasizing that persistence in sales can lead to significant achievements over time.

💡Perception

Perception is the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted. The video discusses how one's perception of luck, whether as good or bad, can influence their experiences and outcomes. The speaker suggests that changing one's perception can lead to a more positive engagement with life's events, thus potentially increasing good luck.

💡Pandemics

Pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic mentioned in the video, are widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases. The speaker uses the pandemic as an example of a random occurrence that can be perceived as either bad luck or good luck, depending on one's circumstances and response to the situation.

💡Gratitude

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. In the video, the speaker mentions a story of a pilot who felt grateful for surviving a dangerous situation during the war. This gratitude led him to seek out opportunities to do good and give back, which the speaker suggests can attract more luck into one's life.

Highlights

The concept of luck can be 'hacked' through understanding and influencing factors within one's control.

Luck is categorized into two types: uncontrollable random occurrences and controllable influences.

Only about 2% of one's life is influenced by uncontrollable luck, such as the place of birth or random events like a pandemic.

The remaining 98% of life is subject to 'influenceable luck', which can be shaped by personal actions and decisions.

A formula for influencing luck involves taking risks, embracing fear, and knowing one's destination.

Taking risks is crucial for increasing luck, as it leads to more opportunities and learning from failures.

The common misconception 'the harder you work, the luckier you get' is debunked in favor of taking calculated risks.

Fear, when managed properly, can be a powerful motivator and a source of energy for taking risks.

Knowing one's destination provides clarity and direction, which is essential for increasing the chances of luck.

Persistence is key to luck, especially in sales and business, where consistent efforts can lead to success.

The top 10% of salespeople are known to reach out to potential clients up to five times, demonstrating the power of persistence.

A personal story of building a business and the realization that taking risks can lead to greater success.

The importance of embracing fear and using it as a tool to push through to success and satisfaction.

An example of how persistence in sales can lead to securing clients even after years of consistent outreach.

The transformative power of taking risks, embracing fear, and having a clear destination in improving one's luck.

The perception of luck is subjective, and one can choose to view life events as幸运 opportunities for good luck.

Historical examples illustrate how taking risks can sometimes lead to better outcomes, challenging the perception of luck.

A call to action for sharing personal stories of luck to be included in a book about the concept of luck.

Transcripts

play00:16

so, the question you have to ask yourself is  are you lucky? Have you had a lucky life do you  

play00:23

think you're going to be lucky in the future  and if you understand the concept of luck  

play00:28

if you understand how luck works you'll discover  what i've discovered that you can hack luck  

play00:36

now when i first tell you there's an ability to  create your own luck of course there will be a  

play00:41

lot of skeptics out there that will point out  something very obvious about luck and that is  

play00:46

that for example where you're born will obviously  determine some element of luck in your life and no  

play00:54

matter what you do in life you cannot really  influence where you're born and that's true  

play01:03

however what i've discovered after decades of  researching luck and trying to understand how  

play01:10

luck works is that in fact luck is broken into  two categories the first element of luck is what  

play01:18

we've just talked about there random occurrences  totally random occurrences where you're born  

play01:25

is nothing other than a random occurrence of  course another random occurrence could have been  

play01:31

coronavirus that could be explained as a random  occurrence that happens to us all it is luck  

play01:37

good or bad depending on your setup in life if  your zoom for example someone would describe that  

play01:44

as a lucky moment for a brand like that they've  done quite well because of corolla virus but  

play01:48

let's assume it's an element of random luck and so  what i've discovered in my research is that that  

play01:55

type of luck in the makeup of someone's 80 year  life on average is actually only 2 of their life  

play02:04

so in other words in your whole existence on  this planet you will in fact only experience  

play02:11

around two percent of uncontrollable totally  random luck and so this leaves 98 of your life  

play02:19

for what i describe as luck you can influence  and so there is a formula for influencing luck  

play02:26

and having studied lots of people that  have been incredibly lucky including myself  

play02:32

i've come to this conclusion around how luck works  now i'll just caveat this process by saying that  

play02:43

there will always be anomalies to any theory okay  and absolutely with this theory that you can hack  

play02:49

that i have there will always be outliers there  will always be exceptions to the rule but 100 for  

play02:56

sure i know that if you follow these three basic  principles you will increase your chances of luck  

play03:04

one thousand percent first and probably in my view  the most important of the three rules to increase  

play03:12

your chances of luck is you've got to take a lot  of risk there is a saying out there which i'm not  

play03:19

particularly fond of which is basically the harder  you work the luckier you get the context of it was  

play03:28

a golfer who believed the more he practiced the  better he got and actually that whole phrase has  

play03:36

been taken out of context and a lot of people  hear you work hard and you will be successful  

play03:43

it's not true if it was true then nurses and  and all these people that work incredibly hard  

play03:51

to make our world work would probably all be  billionaires they're working 20 hour shifts in  

play03:57

some cases seven days a week especially due  through pandemics like coronavirus non-stop  

play04:03

and so it certainly hasn't translated into what we  deem as traditional success and so the harder you  

play04:12

work the lucky you get is not true but what  i know to be true is the more risk you take  

play04:18

the luckier you get this is a fact again talking  about my own personal experience i ran a series  

play04:27

of companies one of them called fluid just  across the border in hong kong and in that  

play04:33

company for 10 years i was completely focused  and intent on it and it grew slowly but surely  

play04:40

over time in 10 years it grew and then i  woke up and i realized this thing i'm now  

play04:46

basically talking to you about that the phrase the  harder you work the luckier you get was not true  

play04:52

in fact i learned the more risk you take the  luckier you get is true so the first risk i took  

play04:57

which was crucial is i brought someone else  in to run the company i'd been working hard at  

play05:04

and instantly i saw that this risk equaled success  because this person was very talented and they  

play05:10

made the business work and they made it grow much  faster than i had in the last few years of running  

play05:15

the company i came in with new energy new ideas  and i took a risk and brought someone else in and  

play05:21

then i found myself actually working less hard  and actually being more successful my business  

play05:26

that i owned was more successful because i worked  less hard but took more risk and as i discovered  

play05:33

this formula i then started taking even more risk  i invested in loads of startups and i started  

play05:39

opening up whole new ventures very risky ones  entrepreneur clubs and investment platforms and  

play05:45

all sorts of things comic book business and  the more i took risk of course also the more i  

play05:53

failed but the more i failed the more i learned  the more i learned the more successful i became  

play05:59

and so for sure the one of the three things you  can absolutely do to increase your chances of  

play06:05

luck is take more risk and one final thing  i'll mention on risk that's really important  

play06:10

when everyone ever feels that they're taking a  risk an element of fear will creep into our bodies  

play06:15

we've all felt it frankly even coming and doing  a talk like this there's an element of fear that  

play06:21

most people have often they'll write down public  speaking being one of the biggest fears in life  

play06:26

but anyone that's done public speaking at scale  as i have done will tell you that once you conquer  

play06:32

that fear that fear's good it makes you prepare it  makes you plan it makes you care gives you energy  

play06:37

gives you passion but then when you go through  to the other end of fear there is incredible joy  

play06:42

satisfaction you've produced a talk like this  that might be useful to millions of people  

play06:48

and through the other side of fear is is total  satisfaction and so fear actually in the modern  

play06:56

world has become a misunderstood word and today  when people feel fear their instinct is to  

play07:03

try and suppress it and try and not feel it by  saying no to things that make them feel fearful  

play07:09

taking risks for example they'll say no to things  because it makes them feel fearful and in the  

play07:14

original design of fear a lion is coming towards  us we instinctively feel this additional energy  

play07:22

this additional superpower the ability to think  faster move quicker do incredible things almost  

play07:28

superhuman things that fear gives us the chance  to do and we have no choice but to leverage it  

play07:35

and live with it because the lion's coming towards  us there's no oh you know what i'm going to turn  

play07:39

off fear i'm just going to say no to the lion  eating me that doesn't exist in the modern world  

play07:45

that does exist and that's the problem people  can say no to the line coming towards them  

play07:50

instead of realizing it's an opportunity  to learn and build your skill of fear so  

play07:56

fear and and luck and risk are all entwined with  each other but if you can learn to love fear  

play08:03

embrace it lean into it you can then learn to take  more risk and every time you feel fear and you  

play08:08

feel risk you know you're on the right path and  that is definitely the secret to luck the second  

play08:15

element to increasing your chances of of more luck  in life is in my view knowing your destination  

play08:24

now when i first say this i'm sure a lot of  you in the audience will be thinking well  

play08:28

i know where i'm going i know what i'm doing but  do you do you really know one of the things i do  

play08:34

when i'm investing in businesses is i ask the  startups i'm investing in to tell me what is  

play08:38

your destination nine times out of ten founders  will say well uh i'm building this company up  

play08:46

and uber will buy it or a 10 cent will buy it or  some big brand will buy us and we'll make all this  

play08:52

money and every single time i hear that they're  missing the point money is only fuel for your car  

play09:00

but without knowing your destination you actually  don't know how much fuel you really need in life  

play09:05

so a lot of people think they want to  make lots of money actually they don't  

play09:08

need to make lots of money there's always that  famous story of a man who owned a beautiful  

play09:12

restaurant in a beautiful part of the world and he  enjoyed running that restaurant and someone came  

play09:18

in one day an investor and said this is such  a beautiful restaurant concept this could be  

play09:22

bigger than mcdonald's why don't we expand it  and the founder of the restaurant said okay that  

play09:27

sounds interesting what happens if we expand it he  said well then you know you'll have thousands of  

play09:31

restaurants across the world and you'll be famous  and then and the founder of the restaurant said  

play09:36

okay that sounds cool then what well then you can  retire and do whatever it is you want with all  

play09:40

that money and fame and the restaurant owner said  you know what i would do and the investor said no  

play09:46

what would you do i buy a little restaurant and  a place i love to live and serve interesting  

play09:51

people like you in other words he knew  his destination already he wasn't tempted  

play09:56

by what was perhaps someone else's destination  in this case an investor's destination to make  

play10:00

lots of money or leverage someone else's  good idea he knew his purpose and i think  

play10:07

that is really important knowing your destination  understanding what your purpose is in life  

play10:12

is kind of crucial and once you know the  destination magic happens for example you  

play10:17

know what to pack in the car for that journey when  you arrive at your destination you're prepared  

play10:22

mentally physically you know what it is you're  trying to do and you're ready for that you see it  

play10:27

as a long game not as a short game second you know  what vehicle you need you know you know what sort  

play10:32

of is it is it going to be you know heavy terrain  is it is it long distance is it short but sweet  

play10:38

and what is the destination and then you can pick  the vehicle and of course by picking the vehicle  

play10:41

you can then also decide what sort of people are  going to fit in that vehicle and the metaphor  

play10:46

carries on in my mind to this basically your whole  life can be determined if you went outside today  

play10:52

got in your car and didn't know where you  were going what a mess your day would be  

play10:56

right but if you knew exactly where you  were going some beautiful things happen  

play11:00

even i've had this experience i get  to the very destination i've planned  

play11:05

only to realize actually i want more or i want to  do something different but i can tick off the box  

play11:10

a sense of accomplishment that i did do what i  said i was going to do and even if i arrive at  

play11:16

my destination and i've changed my environment's  changed you can then reset your destination but if  

play11:22

you don't have a target you won't hit it so that  destination is so crucial and if you know it it  

play11:28

is a game changer in the equation of luck you  will increase your chances of luck because  

play11:33

you'll be looking out for the very thing you need  to get to the destination you want to be going to  

play11:39

and finally and i always hate putting  these things in order but you know i guess  

play11:44

to me this is also pretty important  but a lot of people do overlook this  

play11:47

if you want to be more lucky in life you've got  to be persistent now it's a very interesting word  

play11:54

persistence because quite often i will talk  to founders of companies and they'll tell me  

play11:58

they're not enjoying what they're doing and i  will say to them don't do it you know life is  

play12:04

short we've probably all heard that that saying  you know when to quit when to continue there's an  

play12:09

interesting line between the two but i think quite  often if you have purpose you enjoy fear then this  

play12:16

comes up less often and your whole concept of  persistence changes your whole paradigm of what  

play12:22

persistence means completely shifts and you can  be persistent without even feeling any persistent  

play12:28

pain it's like going to the gym maybe if you  actually find an exercise you like doing at the  

play12:34

gym you look forward to it as opposed to dread  dredit and persistence in the sales context is  

play12:39

pretty interesting i personally built a lot of  my businesses on sales sales is a very powerful  

play12:46

tool if you leverage it right i think it's more  powerful than raising money from investors as  

play12:50

an investor i think i can say this isn't always  good to raise money but if you do know how to sell  

play12:56

you can build an incredible business and  persistence and sales are very entwined and so  

play13:01

i'll give you an example there was a study done  by a famous university that basically had this  

play13:06

whole concept of like how why do some sales people  do really well and others not do so well and they  

play13:13

figured out the top 10 percent of sales people  what they determined as good salespeople would on  

play13:19

average reach out to a potential client five  times these are the good sales people right  

play13:26

and so they would have a process they would get a  lead they would follow up they would maybe email  

play13:30

they would then maybe follow with a phone call  they'd follow up with another email and then  

play13:34

they would stay in touch with them on average  as well for about three months with no reply no  

play13:39

interaction at all from that client would persist  for about three months before they would say hey  

play13:44

the traditional sales model is hey this is this is  not you know stop selling to someone that doesn't  

play13:48

need what you're offering right give give up  because it's don't waste your time 80 of your time  

play13:54

selling to people that don't want your product  spend 80 of your time selling to people that do  

play13:59

it's a mistake it's a misunderstanding about sales  and persistence is a good way of explaining it so  

play14:05

i started a company in hong kong that did a  lot of business in this part of china as well  

play14:11

and that company biggest goal when we first set  out was to work with the world's top brands and  

play14:16

we wrote down 50 companies that we wanted to work  with worldwide and we said right these are the  

play14:22

companies we believe that we can not only help but  of course companies would like to be associated  

play14:28

with so i as the salesperson for that company at  the time wrote down a monthly plan of how we would  

play14:35

always reach out to these companies no matter  what whether they were our clients or not it took  

play14:41

me nine years from starting the company  nine years to get all 50 clients as a client  

play14:52

and the way i did it was every single month i've  had a reason to communicate with those clients  

play14:56

it wasn't a one-off five-step process  to sell and if it doesn't work move on  

play15:00

every single month i would send a newsletter to  those clients every single month i would find a  

play15:03

way of saying happy birthday or happy chinese new  year or send them some sort of insight information  

play15:10

on their industry and what was happening every  single month i would find a way to talk to them  

play15:16

for nine years and that is the difference the  one percent of salespeople know this persistence  

play15:23

concept there's no i've tried they don't want to  buy and put the lead into someone else's hands  

play15:29

or give up it's about being persistent and if  you're persistent take lots of risk embrace fear  

play15:38

and know your destination your life will  transform your luck will pour in and i know  

play15:45

for a fact in my own life that i have  transformed my two percent because of my 98  

play15:54

when i was 15 years old my father suddenly died of  a heart attack and my whole life fell apart at the  

play16:00

time i thought i was incredibly unlucky to lose  my father and have that very difficult situation  

play16:06

that then ensues i was homeless i didn't have  any money i didn't have any skills i left school  

play16:13

and it was a very difficult time but equally  through all of that trauma came these three  

play16:21

key elements i've just mentioned these strengths  to persist the ability to take risks because hey  

play16:27

when you've got nothing to lose taking more  risk feels good of course learning to then  

play16:33

improve your ability to enjoy fear because hey  you've lost everything what else is there to fear  

play16:39

right and then pushing through to the other  side and realizing that actually even the  

play16:44

two percent of bad luck depending on your  perception of that moment can end up being  

play16:51

good luck and to me that is the secret a lot  of what we're talking about when it comes to  

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have you have bad luck or have you had good  luck are you lucky or unlucky is perception  

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buddha once said we're all going to have 10 000  hours of good luck and 10 000 hours of bad luck  

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and my view is everything about that statement  is just a matter of perspective and the truth is  

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you can have 20 000 hours of good luck if  you choose so let me tell you about a few  

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people that have been incredibly lucky  or unlucky depending on how you view it  

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one element of it is one element of it is how you  perceive your moment in time so there were these  

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four boys they were playing on a rock in hiroshima  on the 6th of august 1945 the four boys used to  

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always play here and they used to look down at the  river below and tease each other about how they  

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should take a risk and jump into the river below  and three other four boys would always be fearful  

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and say no and then this one day this one boy said  i'm going to show you how to do it i'm not scared  

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and all of his friends said be careful watch out  you know you could hit the rock and die all that  

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fear kicked in and the fear of the three boys was  being projected onto the boy that was not fearful  

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but he pushed through that objection that friend  caring about him feeling and went and jumped off  

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the cliff and as he hit the water his three  friends looking down above grateful that he  

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hadn't hit the rock and had hit the water and was  safe at that very moment as the boy hit the water  

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the first nuclear bomb ever dropped  on a city was dropped on hiroshima  

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in that moment and these kids were just outside  the radius of the nuclear blast at that moment  

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as the radiation spread out and flowed past  these boys playing on the rock the three boys  

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got completely exposed to the fallout but the  one boy under the water got less affected now  

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back at that time nuclear weapons themselves were  a lot less dangerous there's lots of joke adverts  

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around at the time about called duck and cover  quite funny to google but basically no one uh no  

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you could hide inside a bathtub and potentially  not get affected by the nuclear fallout  

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and it was true outside the blast radius there  were some case studies where the bomb fallout  

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wasn't that dramatic and so basically because this  boy was under the water at the time of the fallout  

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he didn't get as exposed as the three boys on the  rock and the three boys on the rock sadly did die  

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from radiation poisoning but the boy who fell into  the water didn't and so the small of the story is  

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i think sometimes the perception of what's risky  and what's not is very interesting in hindsight  

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so that boy taking a jump into the water was risky  but was it he lived he lived his life he went on  

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to do interesting things with his life and the  three that didn't want to take risk sadly didn't  

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go any further because they didn't take risk and  history is completely littered with examples like  

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this you know there was a an interesting story of  um in the second world war again of a raf pilot  

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who was flying over looking as we as the british  and americans and landed in in normandy for d-day  

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and how uh the pilot recalls how the plane to the  left and the plane to the right both got shot at  

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and was destroyed and he survived why his training  wasn't any better his plane wasn't any better the  

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equipment he had on board wasn't any better the  harder he worked made no difference to that moment  

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right there is this random luck but the fact that  he was lucky in that moment he then took the fact  

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that he felt lucky and said for the rest of his  life he was grateful and because he was grateful  

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he permanently looked for opportunities to  feel lucky do good things for people give back  

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and get that luck that he felt he'd had his  whole life because of that horrible experience  

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with his friends either side in planes dying so  so luck is a really interesting concept and i do  

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feel like with all my heart it's something  you can hack and if you enjoyed today's  

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insight let me know i know we're broadcasting  this as a video instead of face to face but i'd  

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be really interested to know your story of luck  what happened to you in life i'm putting a book  

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together around luck so if you have a story you  want to share about luck then please reach out  

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and let me know thank you very much for letting  me share my story of and insights on luck today

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Luck HackingRisk TakingLife PurposePersistenceFear EmbracingSales StrategiesSuccess MindsetBusiness GrowthEntrepreneurshipWealth PerceptionHistorical Anecdotes