Hacker News Reader

Very much enjoyed the writing on this post.

Leaving yourself open to luck is a skill worth developing. Force yourself out of routines and into adventure. Look for situations with high volatility where your upside is far greater than your downside.

I too enjoyed the prose!

However, what does leaving open to luck mean? Is it not that the results of one's efforts (diligent or otherwise) are left to external entity or luck? I mean don't we all own the ability only to put the best of efforts, but cannot influence the outcomes?

I am genuinely asking how to cultivate this skill?

Best effort is well-defined only for a fixed bandwidth of opportunity.

However, you can always increase your bandwidth of available opportunity. That's what opening yourself up to luck does for you.

The author's coffee-buying policy is an example of a technique that increases available opportunity.

I find this similar to the Zen notion of Beginner's Mind: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoshin

In Frank Herbert's Dune, the main hero, Paul Muad'Dib, name means "the little mouse"

Or the second moon (this is in the 1984 film) https://dune.fandom.com/wiki/Muad%27dib_(moon)

I would welcome more like this.

What the Mouse Knows