Why Persistence and Luck are the Keys to Success

Success in business requires that you follow a few sound and well-tested principles and nurture some important traits. Throughout the years, we’ve seen the same things over and over again – truly successful entrepreneurs can be characterized by their determination, knowledge, persistence and… luck?

We hear it a lot. Someone will claim that a certain business leader was just lucky – that he or she was simply in the right place at the right time. What is luck in business, though? Is it really a defining factor in success, or does it go beyond that? Without a doubt, luck can play a big part in how we see opportunities, but perhaps there’s more to it than mystical chance. It might just be that with some persistence and the right attitude, you can make your own luck and take control of your own success.

What is Luck?

Luck, in a way, is really just a personal awareness. It’s not a special chant or tasty elixir. When we say someone is lucky, it might just be that they have a level of attentiveness that other do not, and they pay attention to specific impressions they get in every circumstance or event, letting them recognize opportunities that others miss. So how does that help you with your business?

Everyone sees and describes luck differently. Just because one CEO climbed to the top faster or more efficiently than another company president doesn’t mean he had more luck; there are a lot of other factors, and luck is one. You can’t control luck, but you make it more likely that you can take advantage of it by controlling the level of creative thinking, hard work, and tenacity you bring into a business project.

Hard work and luck can unlock real success, if you know how to use them.

Be Original and Inspired

Let’s be clear, first of all. Most success in business comes by following sound business principles and being consistently serious about their endeavor. You begin with an idea, service, or product and create a solid plan around it. Surround yourself with other creative and resourceful people and come up with a detailed concept and business model. That’s the bulk of the foundation that successful businesses are built upon.

You could say that if you’re “lucky,” all of these things will fall into place, and your business will be up and running in no time. Or, you could be smart, be objective, and be ready to take on any task or project that you believe in. If you go out on a limb, try new things, and offer a unique perspective, you will inspire others to help you succeed. It’s the act of putting yourself out there that allows you to take advantage of the natural ebb and flow of opportunities that naturally occur. The luck occurs when your efforts coincide with favorable conditions and things catch fire.

Be Positive and Work Hard

Luck seems to hover around those people with a positive attitude, and this is not a coincidence. Be bold and approach jobs with confidence, then you can motivate others and share a passion for getting the work done. A positive attitude can be contagious, which encourages others to work harder and more effectively. Do not sit back and watch things happen around you. Don’t wait for luck. Be the kind of businessperson who has the mental strength to survive the tough times.

Keep Moving Forward

Everyone makes mistakes. Is that bad luck? No, it just means there may have a situation that was beyond your control. Bad luck is merely when those mistakes cascade into other consequences and magnify the mistake. There may be many roadblocks or setbacks, but businesses that overcome these things and, in fact, use the experiences to find even greater success down the road. Someone else may call that “good luck,” but by then you’ll know the difference.

Take the time to learn from other innovative and hard-working businesspeople. They most likely struggled along the way but maintained a vision and reached a goal. The person who believes in himself or herself the most, irrespective of their nominal brainpower, is usually the most successful.

Luck is for the Lottery – Persistence for the Entrepreneur

Luck comes to those who make room for it, and by being serious about success and always following sound business principles there will be plenty of room for great things to happen. Watch for these opportunities as your business grows. Be ready to take a chance because routine is the anti-luck. There’s no room in routine for anything but the ordinary. In a way, luck does have a formula, and once you discover it in your own business, it will be easy to replicate time and again.

Mike Mann, social activist and serial entrepreneur, is the author of MakeMillions.Com, a business book focused on making money in small business in order to better serve society. Read or download the book today for insight on his philosophy on wedding entrepreneurship and charitable goals.