I used to think that I could achieve success simply by working harder than the next guy -- not necessarily smarter, mind you, but harder. I would wake up earlier and go to bed late. I would work on the weekends.
This belief stemmed from my success as a high school athlete. When my competitors called it a day, I kept on pushing. And you know what? It worked! My skills were average at best, but working harder than my competitors really did enable me to beat them. I was determined to be better, and I was. As a result, I thought winning was that simple.
For many years, I applied the same line of thinking to my professional career. To an extent, it worked. But I discovered that luck was also extremely important to achieving success. Hard work and determination will only take you so far.
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You don’t have to let that reality depress you. Forget what you’ve heard: Luck doesn’t just happen. I believe it is possible to create your own luck.
Of course, there are many events that will occur over the course of your career that you will have had nothing to do with -- you may benefit from them, or you may suffer from them. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to set yourself up for opportunity at every turn.
Luck is about being in the right time and the right place. Here’s how to make sure that you are:
1. Be positive. If you project positivity, people will flock to you. Successful people surround themselves with people who share their positive attitude. What does it mean to be positive, really? It means that you exude gratitude and are willing to share your knowledge and friendship with others. We have enough dark thoughts and insecurities on our own -- spending time with people who are negative only exacerbates them.
The more effort you put into cultivating professional relationships, the more opportunities will be presented to you. Others will turn to you with their problems, because they know you have a can-do attitude. Whereas others might see only frustrations, you’ll be able to come up with a solution. People want to work with those that can provide solutions.
2. Listen more than you talk. If you listen closely to what people are saying, you will find opportunities that are ripe for solutions. The easiest way to figure out how to be more helpful -- and therefore, invaluable -- is to listen.
Related: Get Lucky Way More Often
3. Be helpful. Little jobs lead to big jobs. Big jobs lead to fabulous opportunities. If you help others be successful, they will never forget it.