Luck Has More To Do With Intelligence Than Chance

Chance is present from the moment we are born: we do not choose the moment, nor the place, nor the environment in which we are going to grow. Nor are many of the experiences that we will enjoy or have to go through throughout our lives. At first glance, it would seem that luck determines everything, but in reality this is not the case.

Everyone talks about luck, but it is not even easy to define it. We could say that it has to do with fortuitous events or circumstances that positively or negatively influence life. Thus, good luck would be, for example, winning a good lottery prize; bad luck, you lose the winning ticket.

There are those who have wondered if the matter is really so hazardous. There is no definitive answer, but progress has been made on the issue. It is known that luck in capital letters, as in the example of the lottery, is very subject to chance. On the other hand, everyday luck, fortuitous events in favor, is something that depends more on skills and a certain form of intelligence.

Luck and adversity

If one examines the biography of the great historical figures, it is always surprising that most of them went through great hardships. In reality, almost none could be classified as “lucky”. Ultimately, they did not achieve what they did by chance.

In today’s everyday life this rule does not seem to be met. In fact, a study was carried out that simulated the performance of 1,000 people for 40 years and that sought to determine the economic success that each could achieve. The research was led by physicists Alessandro Pluchino and Andrea Rapisarda and economist Alessio Biondo.

The result was puzzling. The most talented or gifted individuals were not the ones who got the most rich in that simulation. The factor that most affected the accumulation of money  was luck. While the most talented achieved a certain well-being, those who really stood out were the lucky ones.

Luck and logic

The foregoing puts us in front of two realities. On the one hand, we have the men and women who have made historical contributions to humanity and who, for the most part, have gone through great adversities. On the other hand, there are moderately talented individuals who achieve more than notable economic successes, due to luck, according to the aforementioned study.

Is there something missing from this equation? Maybe yes, or so thinks Dr. Christian Busch, author of the book The Mindset of Serendipity: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck and one of the 100 most influential thinkers in the world, according to The Economist , Diplomatic magazine Courier , Ideas People and Davos 50 .

According to Busch, the key is in that somewhat enigmatic word that is included in the title of his book: serendipity. To Spanish speakers, the word “chiripa” probably sounds more familiar, which is basically the same thing. Busch says those sudden flashes of good luck aren’t necessarily the result of chance.

For this intellectual, it’s all about making sense of the unexpected, the chance, and being ready to take advantage of it. The best thing is that, in his opinion, this is a skill that can be worked on and developed. With this it is achieved that “good luck” is frequently on our side.

Opportunity hunters

Ultimately, what Christian Busch proposes is that luck is also a matter of perspective. Good luck “runs away” when our need for control leads us to move away from those paths in which there may be greater uncertainty. In other words, when an attitude of fear prevails in the face of uncertainty.

The unexpected is not there to create problems, but to induce us to see other realities that may have eluded us before. What he usually hides is a gift of fortune, provided we are willing to receive it. Accepting the imperfection of reality, finding answers in errors and responding with imagination to the unforeseen are the axes of luck.

At this point the stories of the great people can be joined with that of the not so talented, who, nevertheless, amass great fortunes. What they have in common is a good ability to deal with the new. Many others do not go that far because they want to settle in a world inhabited by certainty and that is where the potentialities stagnate and it is not possible to see the diamonds that shine in the apparent darkness of chaos.