I just read How Luck Happens: Using the Science of Luck to Transform Work, Love, and Life, by Janice Kaplan and Barnaby Marsh. It’s a really awesome book into why some people are more lucky than others, and how we can leverage on things we can do in order to be luckier. In other words, luck is (party) a SKILL that you can hone. The science of luck will be an interesting trend to watch, much like how the concept of antifragile trends, because both have their roots in complexity, systems-thinking, and chaos.  

Sharing them here as reference for myself, and for anyone who might find it useful. This is not a book review, just raw notes lifted directly from the book, with some minor interpretations and categorisations of my own. This is part of my reading list for a new season. 

Career

Strength of weak ties - strongest weak ties are via group identification, like college, sports.

Your network is your net worth.

Creating luck doesn’t mean taking every opportunity - have general sense of what’s on radar but not too focused on exactly what they want.

Kids

Help them see many paths to happiness.

To be lucky, kids need to be willing to stand out from the crowd. 

A custom tailored program does better at cultivating a lucky child.

Curiosity is a precursor to luck.

Bad luck

Take a broader view to make good luck from bad moments (because you’ll feel more in control/optimistic).

Bad luck today might end up being good fortune tomorrow. 

Bad luck can turn into opportunity with the right attitude, and laughter. 

Sometimes to optimize your luck, you need to pass through a valley (bad luck) to reach a higher peak - things get worse before they get better.

Health

Don’t worry about random chance, what you don’t know it can’t control. Make luck by concentrating on things you can influence.

Focus on real facts, not stirred-up fears. More statistics, less heuristics.

Make your own luck in healthcare system by staying involved and being a partner in your own care. Challenge procedures, ask about other possibilities the doc had considered, have patient-doc conversations to increase lucky outcomes.

Overtesting leads to unlucky outcomes. Don’t go looking for trouble. Tests cause more problems than they solve (Bayes’ theorem). Dangers of false positives can outweigh bigger benefits.

Rudeness can have negative repercussions on your care.

Take charge of your own care, make sure someone is advocating for you, ask questions politely.

Disasters

Get all the info you can.

Engage higher brain, stay calm.

Avoid wishful thinking. Neither complacent nor alarmist; don’t be scared, be prepared.

What’s the risk-reward loop?