"Diligence is the mother of good luck." -Benjamin Franklin

For an art project in the second grade, we were each required to build a leprechaun trap in honor of St. Patrick's Day (interesting how St. Patrick's Day celebrations transform as you get older). The uncontroversial incentive of this project was that the student whose structure trapped the leprechaun would be bestowed with some sort of luck. When I think back, I can still feel the overwhelming disappointment that came over me when my leprechaun trap didn't win. It's so unfair. He's so lucky! I remember thinking of the winner. It took me several days to move past this.

Belief in some supernatural force isn't entirely childish though. One psychological theory explains the supernatural to be a human coping mechanism. A way for humans to deal with fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD). 

Over the past couple months, I've had several conversations with stressed college seniors navigating the unmapped paths to finding a job. During these conversations, the first question I'm almost always asked is, "How did you find your current job?" Admittedly, my response is not helpful in the least: "Pure luck." But that's honestly how I feel about it. After months of sending emails and resumes, mostly in vain, luck was the only way I could explain stumbling upon this opportunity at a company I only vaguely knew with a resume submission deadline that hadn't passed. But from there, things were in my control. Aggressively pursuing the opportunity -- researching the company, reaching out to people already there, practicing for the interview -- was anything but luck. 

Last week, a New York Times article discussed the role of luck in business success. Using Bill Gates as the case study, the author argued that luck is just the initial spark, and good or bad, everyone experiences it. What determines success is the return on luck (ROL), those who recognize a lucky event then go on to make the most of it. "We see people like Mr. Gates who recognize luck and seize it, leaders who grab luck events and make much more of them." I found this article to be especially motivating. It takes this fluffy, seemingly distant concept and makes it so tangible. It uses scientific research to explain why instead of hoping to get lucky, you should expect luck and strategize how you will use it to your advantage.

Living in the Silicon Valley and surrounded by self-proclaimed entrepreneurs, there's a certain "cool" factor associated with start-ups. The coolness is driven by this perception of a Midas touch. Some magical, lucky engine driving startup success. But once you catch a glimpse of what's on the inside, the hard work and perseverance that's required, you realize that luck actually has very little to do with it. There's lots of method amidst the madness.

While there's nothing more romantic than catching a lucky break, we can't just sit around and wait for it. As journalist Ed Bradley once said, "Be prepared, work hard, and hope for a little luck. Recognize that the harder you work and the better prepared you are, the more luck you might have." I love that. It equips us with weapons of control that are enough to fight off FUD on our own -- without any supernatural force. And maybe if we approach our endeavors with this mindset, at some point, Luck will be lucky enough to find us.