8. Increasing Luck Surface Area (Luck surface area)
# Career RetrospectI first came across the idea of luck surface area in 海總理’s article, and it probably came from other articles as well.
When talking about luck, the first thing that comes to mind for me is “the wealth gap in a single round.” I think after reading this, people should be able to recognize that a large part of where they are standing right now is due to luck.
I’m not trying to pour cold water on everyone’s life; rather, recognizing this is very important for both you and me.
Some Numbers
Suffering is relative. Although the proportion of people living in extreme poverty with an average daily income below 3.2 US dollars is 26.2%, 46% of the world’s population has an average daily income below 5.5 US dollars (source, statistics from 2015). In Taiwan, earning an hourly wage from a part-time job already means you are doing better than nearly half of the world.
Even knowing this fact, we still feel like our lives are bad, because the people we compare ourselves to are different and farther away from us. Yet when we see others living better or being more successful than us, we instinctively think they are just lucky.
Seeing someone living a harder, more miserable life does not seem to make ourselves feel any better.
However, many people stop at this stage of perception: when they see someone doing better than them or being more successful, they start blaming their own background and bad luck, give up early, and then blame the government and the environment for all their misfortunes.
My experience over the past few years has taught me that although luck cannot be controlled, there are things we can do to increase the chances of good luck happening.
Is Life a Matter of Choice, or Luck?
- If my laptop at the time had not been a pitiful 2GB of RAM, with Windows barely able to run any Java IDE, and I could only use memory-light Ubuntu and Sublime, I might never have started writing web pages
- If I had not been jolted back to reality in junior high and had kept getting lost in internet cafes, I might not have been able to get into NTUST and be influenced by excellent friends
- If I had not scored exactly the right number on the general scholastic ability test, I might have ended up in electrical engineering or electronics, and then I might not be a software engineer now
- If a classmate had not recommended anime to me, I might never have started learning Japanese on my own, earned JLPT N1 in college, and gone to live and work in Japan
- If I had not started writing a blog during college, perhaps I would not have been seen by so many people
- If I had not joined internships and accumulated various technical and software development experiences, and interacted with the development teams at the time, perhaps my career would not have turned out this way
Looking back, these choices were more often luck, because at the moment I made them, I had no idea what would happen in the future.
So how can we increase the probability of luck? We can start from a few places:
1. Build a network
Get to know more people, but don’t start from a utilitarian mindset, expecting others to bring you benefits from the very beginning. Stay friendly, listen more to their stories, see what help you can offer, and it’s okay to take a little loss.
I’ve had interactions with people on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram that eventually led to meeting up for meals, asking for advice, and even becoming partners. If someone is the kind of person who only knows how to take and never give, you can probably tell after a few interactions; but on the flip side, they might become the person who helps you at a critical moment.
This network does not have to be business partners only. Friends who play together and friends who support one another are also part of it.
2. Try new things
Try new things as much as possible: diving, hiking, learning an instrument, joining clubs, attending meetups—use low-cost ways to explore, make mistakes, and broaden your horizons.
What if you don’t have money? There are many things you can do when you don’t have money. Cold Email, joining free reading groups, language exchanges, and so on. More importantly, you need to say out loud that you don’t have resources.
3. Ask for help
I know it’s hard. We often instinctively worry about bothering others, or we simply feel too embarrassed to say it out loud. But if you don’t say it, others really won’t know how to help.
When I was in college, my family’s financial situation was poor. There were times when I couldn’t even afford three meals a day. My wardrobe was full of torn shirts and T-shirts, and I didn’t have enough pants; I wore a pair of beach shorts so worn out they had holes in them even to formal occasions (I’m very sorry). There were only a few hundred dollars left in my postal account that I couldn’t withdraw, so I had to swallow my pride and borrow money from friends.
After one college classmate learned about my situation, he helped me apply for school resources, and I received free meal vouchers so I could eat boxed lunches at the student cafeteria. Another classmate had access to alumni association resources and helped connect me with people from the alumni association, which allowed me to finish college with peace of mind.
I’m truly grateful to them.
Just like when I used to help organize orientation camps and seek sponsorships, I used to not understand why alumni who had already become successful would sponsor college activities like these. But maybe it was just one exposure, one chance to connect, and it might even eventually turn into a job opportunity.
4. Share more, produce more
Increase your visibility through social media, blogs, SEO, and other methods, so that more people can see you. This echoes point one.
5. Stay away from toxic relationships
This is very important. Although I believe most people are happy to communicate and help each other, there are still many people and things that constantly drain your energy—maybe internet trolls, maybe even friends around you.
They will keep undermining your confidence and denying anything you do. You must stay away from such people, otherwise long-term they will affect both your mental and physical well-being.