Chapter 15: The 4 Types Of Luck

Luck Isn’t What You Think

A few years ago, I looked at people who were crushing it and thought:

"Man, they got lucky."

The right connections. The right timing. The right opportunities.

But here’s what I didn’t see: they weren’t just lucky — they were playing a different game.

Because luck isn’t just something that happens to you.

It’s something you can engineer.

Why Luck Isn’t Random

Most people think luck is a random lottery — you either have it or you don’t.

But the truth? Luck is a result of exposure, positioning, and action.

• More exposure = more chances for luck to strike.

• Better positioning = higher-quality opportunities.

• Faster action = capitalizing when luck presents itself.

If you feel like you’re always one step behind, it’s probably because you haven’t optimized for luck creation.

(AKA: You’re still waiting for the universe to hand you a break instead of stacking the deck in your favor.)

The Four Types of Luck

Naval Ravikant, breaks luck into four categories:

1. Dumb Luck (Winning the lottery, finding $20 in your jeans) – Completely out of your control.

2. Luck Through Motion (The more shots you take, the luckier you get) – Luck favors action.

3. Luck Through Awareness (Noticing opportunities others miss) – Pattern recognition.

4. Luck Through Reputation (Opportunities come to you because of who you are) – The holy grail.

Most people rely on Level 1 (random luck) and complain when nothing happens.

The smartest people engineer Levels 2-4.

How to Reverse-Engineer Your Own Luck

1. Increase Your Surface Area for Opportunity

You can’t get lucky sitting on your couch, rewatching Suits for the third time.

• Say yes to more things. Serendipity requires movement.

• Meet new people. Most “lucky” breaks come from weak ties, not close friends.

• Publish more. Share your ideas online. Your next big break could come from one post.

Lucky people collide with more opportunity because they put themselves in more places where luck can strike.

(Translation: Stop waiting for the perfect moment and start doing things.)

2. Get Good at Spotting Opportunities

Luck isn’t just being in the right place at the right time.

It’s realizing when you’re in the right place at the right time.

• Notice trends before they’re obvious.

• Train yourself to see gaps in the market.

• Surround yourself with people who think ahead.

Opportunities are everywhere. Most people just aren’t paying attention.

(Or worse, they notice them but talk themselves out of taking action.)

3. Build a Reputation That Attracts Luck

The ultimate level of luck is when opportunities come to you.

• The best gigs go to people with a body of work that speaks for itself.

• The best connections happen when people respect what you do.

• The biggest opportunities land in your inbox when your name is attached to something valuable.

If you want luck to chase you, become the kind of person people want to work with.

And no, that doesn’t mean posting “rise and grind” quotes on LinkedIn. It means doing work that actually matters.

Final Thought: Make Yourself Luckier

Luck isn’t magic, it’s math.

The more shots you take, the more rooms you step into, the more you put yourself in the right places with the right people — the more “lucky” breaks you’ll get.

So instead of asking, “How do I get lucky?”

Ask, “How do I create more chances for luck to find me?”

Because the people you admire?

They didn’t wait for luck. They built a system where luck couldn’t ignore them.

And that’s the game.