Three people are sitting on a bench: a wise man between two fools. One fool is called “Pointless.” They argue that the universe is cold and uncaring to human needs. We can try as hard as we want and plan as long as we can, but at the end of the day, the world will have its way. A bullet, a disease, a speeding truck, a single sentence from a powerful person — they’ll each determine our lives, so trying to plan is pointless. The other fool is called “Control.” They say we are in charge of everything. If we work hard and plan properly, we’ll achieve all of our goals. Luck is an invention of the weak and inadequate. Fortune favors only the brave. I, and only I, am in control of my life. And in between the fools, the sage nods. They listen to Pointless, and they listen to Control. They take on a bit of both. They plan while accepting that plans sometimes go wrong. They think about tomorrow but never forget today. They recognize the power of choice but bow to the gods of fortune. So how can we follow the middle path? How can we be wiser? Here’s how to make your own luck. The serendipity mindset In his book, The Serendipity Mindset, the writer Christian Busch argues that there are actually two kinds of luck. There is the luck that happens to you. It’s out of your control, so you have to just roll with it: a traffic jam, a freak thunderstorm, a stomach bug on your wedding day. But there’s also meeting someone fun at a party, catching the last bus, and getting to witness the rare passing of a wild deer in the woods. The other kind of luck is “serendipity,” and we have more control over this kind. According to Busch, there are three things we need to nurture a “serendipity mindset.” First, be open. This means doing more things and experiencing more of the world. Meet new people, go to exciting places, and read books and watch programs you’d never think to try. If you experience more of the world, then you will simply witness more opportunities. As any gambling advertisement will tell you, you have to play to win. And so exposing yourself to more of the world is like throwing the dice again and again. Second, be alert. When something pops up, be present enough to recognize it. When you are so fixated on one thing, you miss what the world offers. Back in the innocent days of the early internet, there was a viral video about missed attention. The video had you count how many basketball passes a team performed in a minute. And, as people are so intent on the task, they entirely miss a gorilla walking into the shot and then out. When you watch it again, it’s easy to be disturbed by how much we can miss. Alertness is like this — always be vigilant about the world around you. Third, be tenacious. Be ready to leap and to hold on tightly to any passing opportunity. Reply to that email right away. If something works, try it again and again and again. If you meet someone interesting at a party, carry on talking to them. I am incredibly fortunate in my life to meet and interview a lot of people. Some of the greatest opportunities, and some of my now-best friends, have come because I carried on a conversation long after the first meeting. Wisdom on a bench Embracing openness, alertness, and tenacity is how we hold the line between the two fools on the bench. We cannot stop the traffic jams, but we can choose the podcast to listen to. We cannot control the weather, but we can build a sail to catch its winds or a roof to stop its rain. Cultivating a serendipity mindset doesn’t mean ignoring the reality of a chaotic universe, nor does it require the arrogant belief that we can dictate every outcome. In the ancient world, the playwrights and philosophers loved nothing so much as a story about “hubris.” If any mortal thought they could steer the world, if any human thought they were too big for their boots, a capricious god would pop along to set them right. And so, Icarus falls to the sea. Yes, of course, some people get more luck than others — by definition, that’s out of our control. But in the swirling, messy, passing opportunities of the world, the truly lucky person is the one who is paying attention and is ready to jump when the time comes. This article 3 ways to make your own luck is featured on Big Think.