Perseverance Creates Luck

Steve Martin, in his Masterclass course on comedy says, “When it's your turn to be picked, you have to be within pointing distance.”

If we're friends or you've read my posts, you've likely heard me say, “All things being equal, people like to buy from their friends. So first, make all things equal, and then make a lot of friends.“

In his award-winning Broadway musical, Lin-Manuel Miranda writes an entire song about the way decisions get made called The Room Where It Happens.

No one really knows how the game is played
The art of the trade
How the sausage gets made
We just assume that it happens
But no one else is in the room where it happens

and…

When you got skin in the game, you stay in the game
But you don't get a win unless you play in the game

All of these statements reflect the exact same insight, in my mind.

Here's how I think about it.

What most people call luck is really about being present when an opportunity appears. You increase your odds if you're there often. Which requires persistence.

If you're frustrated because everyone else gets their shot and you never seem to get an opportunity, my first question is going to be about persistence. Nothing else.

Because persistence creates luck.

But you're likely looking at the title of this post and wondering why I'm talking about persistence instead of perseverance.

Well, that's the thing. If persistence were easy, everyone would do it. What makes it hard is when you keep showing up and luck doesn't immediately materialize. That's when you realize you need a little something to keep going.

Hence, perseverance creates luck.

Three Tips for Perseverance

Before I wrap up this short post, I want to share three things that have helped me stay persistent (like today is day 345 of blogging daily).

1. Have a tiny group of close friends who you can share freely with. The truth is that persistence is hard. And you won't always feel great. You may want to quit. Or you'll feel frustrated. And that's when you need a small group that you can be honest with. They won't judge you. If you have that, perseverance is much easier. And perseverance creates luck.
2. Keep track of your progress. How do I know today is day 345 of daily blogging? Because I keep track. And do you think I'll skip today when I'm 20 days from the end of the year? Unlikely. Because the streak takes on meaning in and of itself. It's harder to break when you know what it will feel like to go back to zero and start again.
3. Count your blessings. Here's the crazy thing that I believe is true about perseverance. It bears fruit. In other words, even if you haven't gotten what you are planning for, you likely are getting other good things along the way. Don't take those for granted. Instead, capture them. Because on your way to your desired expectation, you may discover you've already benefited in ways you never imagined. Maybe even better than your initial desire.

All of this will help you with persistence. Which helps with your drive and perseverance. And perseverance creates luck.