Audio Version (08:58)
Have you ever looked at someone else’s life and thought, “They’re just lucky”? “How do THEY seem to get all the breaks?”
They seem to meet the right people, find great opportunities, land the promotion, start successful businesses, or stumble across solutions just when they need them.
Meanwhile, you spend years waiting for your lucky break.
What if luck isn’t quite as random as we think?
To watch the extended YouTube version of this article, where I also discuss ‘Don’t Waste Mental Currency’ and ‘Stop Treating Rejection as Evidence’ click here.
The Background
When I saw a recent post from neuroscientist Nicole Vignola (@nicolesneuroscience) about luck, it immediately resonated with me, and I thought it might resonate with you too.
Like many others, I grew up in a very negative environment, and, sometimes, despite all the work I’ve done on myself, that ingrained programming can still show up unexpectedly.
However, according to Nicole, becoming luckier has less to do with chance and more to do with how your brain pays attention to the world around you.
Her post reminded me that becoming luckier isn’t about waiting for life to change. It’s about changing what we pay attention to.
We get more of what we think about!
Your Brain Sees What It Expects to See
One of the most fascinating aspects of the human brain is that it constantly filters information. Every second, your senses are taking in an enormous amount of data. If your brain processed every detail consciously, you’d quickly become overwhelmed.
Instead, it acts like a personal assistant, deciding what deserves your attention and what can be ignored. The problem is that your brain often filters information based on your existing beliefs.
If you believe:
- There are no good jobs available
- All the good relationships are taken
- Opportunities only happen to other people
- Success is reserved for the lucky few
Your brain starts looking for evidence that supports those beliefs. Without even realising it, you’ll overlook possibilities that don’t fit your existing narrative.
This is one reason why two people can walk into exactly the same situation and have completely different experiences.
- One notices opportunities. The other notices obstacles.
- One sees possibilities. The other sees limitations.
The opportunities may be identical, but their brains are filtering the information differently.
Scarcity Thinking Shrinks Your World
Many of us unknowingly operate from a scarcity mindset (and if you grew up with pessimistic parents, you’ll definitely recognise this).
We tell ourselves:
- There aren’t enough opportunities.
- There aren’t enough good clients.
- There aren’t enough promotions.
- There aren’t enough good partners.
- There isn’t enough money.
When we think this way, our attention narrows. We become hyper-focused on what we lack rather than what might be available.
Looking back, this was a mindset I was exposed to repeatedly growing up. There was always a focus on what could go wrong rather than what could go right. What was missing rather than what was possible. The trouble is that when you believe opportunities are scarce, you often stop looking for them.
Imagine attending a networking event convinced that nobody will want to talk to you.
- Your confidence drops.
- Your body language changes.
- You avoid conversations.
- You leave early.
Then you conclude, “See? There were no opportunities there.” The reality is that your expectations shaped your behaviour, which influenced the outcome.
This is not simply positive thinking. It’s neuroscience. Your brain is constantly searching for evidence that confirms what it already believes.
Act As Though Opportunities Are Everywhere
One of Nicole’s most powerful lessons is to act as though opportunities are abundant rather than scarce. Notice the wording. She doesn’t suggest pretending everything will work out perfectly.
Instead, she encourages us to assume that opportunities exist and that our job is to notice them. This simple shift changes what your brain looks for.
- You become more curious.
- You ask more questions.
- You start more conversations.
- You explore possibilities instead of dismissing them.
- You become more willing to take action.
Over time, this creates what looks like luck. In reality, you’re simply noticing opportunities that many other people overlook.
Why Some People Seem to Create Their Own Luck
Think about the luckiest people you know. Chances are, they have certain habits in common.
- They talk to people.
- They put themselves in new environments.
- They try new things.
- They take reasonable risks.
- They remain open to possibilities.
As a coach, I’ve seen this pattern countless times. People often assume successful individuals had some magical advantage. When we look more closely, we usually find someone who kept showing up, kept learning, kept connecting with others, and kept taking action long after many people would have given up.
Their success appears lucky from the outside. From the inside, it is often the result of behaviours that continually increase the chances of finding opportunities.
Rejection Is Often Redirection
Looking back over your own life, there are probably events that felt disappointing at the time but ultimately worked in your favour.
- The job you didn’t get.
- The relationship that ended.
- The opportunity that disappeared.
- The move that didn’t happen.
At the time, they may have felt like failures. Years later, they often make sense. Many people discover that what felt like rejection was actually redirection.
The challenge is that we rarely know this in the moment. This is where resilience becomes so important. If every setback convinces you to stop trying, luck has fewer opportunities to find you.
If every closed door sends you into weeks of self-doubt, fewer opportunities will appear because you’re no longer looking for them. The faster you recover and continue moving forward, the more opportunities you create for yourself.
This is true resilience.
Luck Loves Movement
One thing I’ve learned through both my own experiences and my work with clients is that opportunities rarely appear when we’re standing still.
The people who seem luckiest are often the people who keep moving.
- They keep learning.
- They keep meeting people.
- They keep trying new approaches.
- They keep adapting.
Motion creates visibility.
Visibility creates opportunities.
Opportunities create outcomes.
Those outcomes often get labelled as luck.
The Neuroscience of Becoming Lucky
If we boil all of this down, becoming luckier is not about controlling fate. It is about influencing where your attention goes. Your brain can only work with what it notices.
If you’re constantly focused on scarcity, rejection, and limitations, you’ll overlook countless possibilities.
If you train yourself to notice opportunities, remain curious, and recover quickly from setbacks, you dramatically increase the chances of positive outcomes.
What appears to be luck is often attention plus action.
The Wrap-up
Nicole’s neuroscience-based approach to luck is refreshingly practical. Act as though opportunities are everywhere because your brain will look for whatever you tell it is important.
Stop treating rejection as evidence that you can’t succeed and start treating it as redirection towards something else.
Becoming lucky isn’t about finding opportunities that nobody else can see. It’s about noticing opportunities that many people overlook because they’re too busy focusing on what is missing, what went wrong, or what might never happen.
The world is full of possibilities. The question is: what is your brain currently looking for?
What Next?
Again, to watch the extended YouTube version of this article, where I also discuss ‘Don’t Waste Mental Currency’ and ‘Stop Treating Rejection as Evidence’ click here.
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If there are any subjects you’d like me to cover in upcoming content or if you’d like coaching support with anything I discuss in my videos or articles, please email me at info@jobanks.net.
However, recently, I’ve received many emails and DMs from people asking for my views on their personal/professional situations. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, I can’t provide individual advice unless you are a client.
As always, thanks for your continued support.
