When I was researching a new piece of work, I revisited Chase, Chance, and Creativity. Author and medical doctor James H. Austin puts forward the idea that there are four types of luck, which I covered at Lifehacker over a decade ago. 

Of all of these types, the one I wanted to dig deeper into was Chance IV, which James describes as “the kind of luck that develops during a probing action which has a distinctive personal flavor.” This type of chance involves leaning into your personality quirks and taking action on it. 

One example: Sir Alexander Fleming, best known for discovering penicillin, really enjoyed water polo. He scored top scores in his medical exams, and he didn’t know much about the medical schools. He decided to attend St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School because he had previously played against the school’s water polo team.

Imagine that. If Fleming hadn’t chosen that specific path, based on his passion for water polo, it’s possible that he wouldn’t have ventured into bacteriology and vaccines, and eventually discovered penicillin. That’s Chance IV at work.

If you want to improve your exposure to this type of chance, develop and lean into your personal quirks. Don’t let your inner critic disguise itself as logic and play against your preferences and drive. 

The years of discipline and doing things you don’t like, or making sacrifices for the future, may have trained you to bias for options that make you feel less happy, under the guise of being “the smarter decision.”

Chance IV needs you to turn the volume down on this voice. Instead, practice letting go, listening to your inclinations, and trusting yourself every day. Try loosening up and practicing controlled sloppiness.