8. Increasing Your Luck Surface Area

I first came across the concept of “Luck Surface Area” in an article by Hai Zong Li, which likely drew inspiration from other writings as well.

When it comes to luck, the first thing that comes to mind is Toby Morris’s comic “On a Plate.” After reading it, I think anyone would realize that being able to stand where we are today is, to a large extent, a matter of luck.

I’m not trying to pour cold water on anyone’s life, but recognizing this reality is crucial for all of us.

The Wealth Gap Across One Plate: A Story of Class Reproduction

A Few Numbers

Suffering is relative. Although extreme poverty (living on less than $3.20 a day) accounts for 26.2$5.50 a day (source, 2015 statistics), earning just one hour of minimum wage working a part-time job in Taiwan already puts you ahead of nearly half the world.

Even knowing this fact, we still feel like we have it rough because of who we compare ourselves to—those living in extreme poverty feel distant to us. Yet when we see others doing better and achieving more success than us, we subconsciously assume they were just lucky.

Seeing that someone else has it harder or worse doesn’t seem to make us feel any better.

Yet many people’s mindset stops right there: whenever they see someone who is better off or more successful, they start blaming their background or their bad luck, “lying flat” early on, and attributing all their misfortunes to the government and broader environment.

My experience over the past few years has taught me that while luck is outside our control, there are things we can do to increase the likelihood of good luck occurring.

Is Life About Choices, or Luck?

• If my laptop at the time hadn’t had a pitiful 2GB of RAM—Windows could barely run any Java IDE, leaving me no choice but to use low-memory Ubuntu and Sublime Text—I might never have started building for the web.
• If reality hadn’t slapped me awake in junior high, and I had kept spending all my time in internet cafes, I might never have gotten into Taiwan Tech (NTUST) and been influenced by such talented peers.
• If my score on the vocational college entrance exam hadn’t been what it was, I might have ended up in electrical or electronic engineering, and might not be a software engineer today.
• If my classmates hadn’t gotten me hooked on anime, I might never have started teaching myself Japanese, passed the JLPT N1 in college, or ended up living and working in Japan.
• If I hadn’t started writing this blog back in college, maybe so many people wouldn’t have discovered my work.
• If I hadn’t taken on internships to accumulate technical and software development experience and collaborate with engineering teams, my career path might look completely different today.

Looking back, these choices were often more about luck, because at the moment I made them, I had no idea what the future held.

So how can we increase our chances of getting lucky? We can start with a few areas:

1. Build a Network

Meet more people, but don’t approach it transactionally by expecting favors right from the start. Stay friendly, listen to other people’s stories, see how you can help, and don’t worry about taking a slight loss or giving more than you take.

Through interactions on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, I’ve ended up meeting people offline for meals, asking for advice, and even finding business partners. If someone is a pure taker who never gives back, you’ll figure that out after a few interactions; but on the flip side, someone might just become a key supporter or mentor in your life.

This network doesn’t have to be strictly business-related—friends to hang out with or companions to support each other are just as valuable.

2. Try New Things

Try new things as much as possible—whether it’s diving, hiking, learning an instrument, joining a club, or attending meetups. Use low-cost ways to experiment, make mistakes, and broaden your horizons.

What if you don’t have money? There are plenty of things you can do without money: cold emails, attending free book clubs, language exchanges, and so on. More importantly, be open and tell people that you lack resources.

3. Ask for Help

I know it’s hard. We often subconsciously worry about being a burden to others, or we feel too embarrassed to speak up. But if you don’t say anything, people genuinely won’t know how to help you.

In college, my family was in bad financial shape. There were times when I couldn’t afford three meals a day. My wardrobe consisted of ragged shirts and T-shirts, and I didn’t have enough pants—I even wore a pair of beach shorts with holes to formal events (I’m truly sorry about that). With only a few hundred NTD left in my post office account (below the ATM withdrawal minimum), I had no choice but to swallow my pride and borrow money from friends.

When one of my college classmates learned about my situation, he helped me apply for campus resources so I could get meal vouchers for the cafeteria. Another classmate had connections with the alumni association and reached out on my behalf, allowing me to finish college with peace of mind.

I am deeply grateful to them.

Just like back when we organized freshman orientation camps and sought sponsorships: I used to wonder why successful alumni would bother sponsoring college activities. But maybe it was just about getting exposure, creating a networking opportunity, and perhaps turning it into future job prospects.

4. Share and Output More

Increase your visibility through social media, blogging, SEO, and other channels so more people discover you. This goes hand-in-hand with point number one.

5. Walk Away from Toxic Relationships

This is very important. While I believe most people are happy to connect and help each other, there will always be people and things that constantly drain your energy—whether they’re internet trolls or people in your immediate circle.

They will constantly undermine your self-confidence and invalidate everything you do. You must stay away from such people; otherwise, it will take a toll on your mental and physical health in the long run.

6. Modern Geocentrism