Reach

Momentum is about rate of iteration and persistence, not brilliance.

Luck is a function of surface area.

In the early days, effective people increase their luck by exposing themselves to more opportunities and more people.

There’s a reason why successful people tend to be proactive: they’re expanding their reach.

Reach is a serendipity engine.
– @Julian

Anyone who sells anything has stumbled upon the truth of what Julian Shapiro is saying here. It’s profoundly obvious that the more people you reach out to the more you’ll expose yourself to opportunities. The trick has always been finding the right people, and the right opportunities, at the right time. And until you’ve built a network up around yourself and located the 20% of people who will help you the most in life, the more you’ve got to just get out there and play the numbers game.

Momentum through our rate of iteration and persistence applies to everything we do in life.

Want to be fit? Do the work, push yourself to do more, be consistent. Repeat.

Want to speak a different language? Learn the basics and then push your limits. Immerse yourself in a culture where you must stretch yourself to be understood.

Want to be a great writer? Read more to know what great writing is. Live more to have something to say. Write more to get good at it. Publish more to gain a following. Connect with more people to find the 20% who will help you the most in your career.

Do more. Expand your reach. Reach is a serendipity engine. Simple. And simply true.

For people starting their careers, I’d point to these simple @Julian tweets as the core lesson. No need to buy the books, attend the success summits, or watch hours of video. Just do the work, intelligently and persistently, that moves you towards your goal.

Reach involves a level of discomfort. The very act of reaching implies going beyond your current place. Going beyond your comfort zone. To places of uncertainty and rejection and the unfamiliar. We’ve all felt that when walking into a room where we don’t know anyone. What we forget is that most of the people in that room feel the same way.

Reach leads to connection.

So go out on a limb.

When you continue reaching, the uncomfortable becomes comfortable. Opportunities come up. Friendships and alliances are formed. And you grow in new and unexpected directions.

So by all means, reach.