The answer to this question is really quite simple:  Just Show Up.

Well, there’s a little more to it than that.  You need to be prepared and proactive.  Creating luck is all about putting yourself in the right places, at the right times, and doing the right things.  This means accepting that invitation to join a friend at a reception, attending a local marketing association meeting, or going out to your buddy’s happy hour with his or her co-workers when you get the invite.

If life has taught me anything, it is that opportunity (or luck) is out there waiting for us to discover it.  This means we need to show up and actively participate.  The truth of the matter is that we never know where opportunities may be found.  However, if we show up and keep an open mind – that means knowing the opportunity may not be at the happy hour but rather 3 or 4 get-togethers down the road – then you can begin to create a nice pipeline of luck for yourself.

The reason I am writing this is because I was inspired by a meeting I showed up to yesterday.  I’d like to share this quick story with you that may help explain this a little better.

Last week, I was contacted by a career placement firm to visit with them and learn more about how they may be able to help me.  At first, I wasn’t quite sure what the meeting was for, but I figured it was probably going to be no more than an hour.  I attended the meeting with Terri, the VP of Professional Development, and we had a great conversation.  It turned out there weren’t any services currently matching my needs and she was very polite about confirming that.  Interestingly enough, it turned out she may have a need for some of my expertise in the future.

Near the end of our conversation we discovered we had a common connection – Sylvie.  Sylvie works for a local consulting firm owned by a gentleman named John.  As it turned out, John does some executive coaching for the career placement firm.   I asked Terri if John was available and if she would facilitate an introduction.  She endorsed my request and I had the opportunity to meet with John for 15-20 minutes.  John provided me with some excellent advice and asked for my resume so that he could keep me in mind in case he heard of a good opportunity.  Last night I connected with both of them on LinkedIn and sent them follow-up emails.

You may be thinking that this event did not produce any income for me and you are right.  As of yesterday, it did not.  But showing up to this meeting when I could have easily said no or cancelled led to meeting people that I may be able to do some contract work for down the road.  And if John runs into an opportunity he thinks I would be a good fit for, then I may get a call.  These are only the predictable potential opportunities, there are many more I cannot even fathom today.

Essentially, these are the early stages of the pipeline for luck.  I have to be patient and follow-up accordingly.  It all has to start somewhere and the more aware you are of that fact the better you can become at creating your own pipeline of luck.

How have you created luck recently?  Please share any interesting stories where showing up led to great things.