I get asked all the time how certain people seem to always catch a break, always land the opportunity, always get lucky. The honest answer is they are not getting lucky at all. In this episode, I share two stories that completely changed how I think about opportunity and business strategy, and then I walk you through the mindset shift that took me from avoiding rejection to chasing 10,000 nos in a single year. If you feel stuck or like success keeps happening to everyone but you, this episode will show you exactly why and what to do about it.

Key Takeaways

• Luck is not something that happens to you. It is something you create through deliberate action and strategy.
• Michelin and Guinness both built legendary brands by engineering ecosystems where other people benefited first.
• Myopic thinking kills opportunity. When you lock yourself into one path forward, you miss every other avenue that could get you there.
• The fastest way to overcome rejection is to pursue it on purpose. I chased 10,000 nos and it filled the following years with yeses.
• The secret ingredient that takes you from where you are to where you want to be is building other people's victories into your own equation.

Action Steps

1. Identify one area where you are waiting for luck or opportunity and map out two specific actions you can take this week to engineer it yourself.
2. Ask yourself how the goal you are pursuing can create a tangible benefit for someone else, then build that benefit into your approach.
3. Set a rejection quota. Pick a number of outreach attempts or asks you will make this month and commit to hitting it regardless of the response.

Notable Quote Don't be one of those people that think luck just isn't on your side. You can make luck be on your side. You can create that opportunity. It's never luck. It's something you create.