The role of luck in your career

Author

Lauren Curtis
March 18, 2025

Hey Health Techies!

According to the Oxford dictionary, luck it is defined as "success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one's own actions."

But what if your actions could increase your luck?

Enter the concept of the Surface Area of Luck. The more actions you take, the more people you connect with, the more visible you are—the greater your chances of stumbling into opportunity. In other words, you don’t wait for luck; you create it.

And around this time every year, I like to talk about how to get luckier in your career. ☘️

The concept of Luck Surface Area was coined by entrepreneur Jason Roberts. There have been a lot of pieces written about it, but you can read his thoughts in his own words here. 

Essentially he says that L = D x T, or Luck = Doing x Telling. 

When searching for jobs, I find that people are realllllllly good at the doing (the searching, the applying, the editing of their resume), but tend to be pretty poor at the telling. 

What does telling look like in the job search?

1️⃣ Put your work out in the open – Share your knowledge, write about your experiences, and engage in discussions. Whether it’s LinkedIn posts, a personal blog, or speaking at small events—being visible makes serendipity possible.

2️⃣ Expand your network – Luck loves loose connections. Those casual acquaintances and LinkedIn connections can lead to unexpected job offers, partnerships, or career advice at just the right time.

3️⃣ Say yes more – Attend industry events, join online communities, volunteer for projects. You never know which small action will lead to something big.

4️⃣ Be the connector – Introduce people in your network who could benefit from knowing each other. The more value you create, the more opportunities find their way back to you.

5️⃣ Keep learning publicly – Document what you’re learning, what you’re working on, and where you’re struggling. You’ll attract help, guidance, and even job offers from people who see your journey.

Most people are not willing to take even one of these steps because they can feel uncomfortable, but the compounding effect that they could have on your career could be monumental. Imagine if you did just one of these? Or all of them? Sure, they take effort, but when you realize that each act of "telling" may increase your Luck Surface Area, they feel more like an investment in your future than a waste of time. 

In fact, doing some of these activities even when you're not explicitly searching for a job is the best way to have opportunities come directly to you even when you're not actively "on the market". 

So tell me, whether you're searching for a new job or not, what one action will you take this week to expand your surface area of luck?

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Until next time,

Lauren

P.S. If you’re ready to make some moves in your career, here a couple of ways you can get started today:

  1. The Resume Template Pack: Don’t let choosing a the perfect resume template keep you from applying to that remote role. Grab these and know that you’re using tried and true templates that help get the job done.

  2. Strategy Call: Need help planning your job pivot? Book a call and let’s do it together.