When effort meets chance

Ask any successful entrepreneur, and the one thing they won’t tell you is that timing is part of the cosmic secret sauce of any venture. I am learning and re-learning this constantly.

Timing is both blessing and curse. As a blessing, it brings unexpected opportunities, influential collaborators, or surprise wins. It makes you feel like you are on the right track.

Yes, this is your time. This feels right.

But when it’s a curse, nothing feels right. Nothing falls into place. Instead of a surprise encounter, there’s a void you can’t help but stare into, waiting for a light to cut through the glumness.

In business, timing is essential. But because it’s hard to quantify, plan for, or engineer, we rarely talk about it. Sure, we dissect how Kodak or Blackberry misread massive market shifts. But we mostly glorify hard work; it’s deeply engrained in how we’re raised.

We also vastly undervalue how era, location, or access — to capital, education, support — shape success. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Gwyneth Paltrow (yes, threw her in for good measure) all had environments that supported their rise.

For the rest of us, we have to create our own environments. That starts with recognizing that timing is a factor. And that bad timing ≠ failure.

This has to sink in. The common narrative is that you are the only thing standing in your way.

Utter b*s.

We need to stop aggrandizing the myth of “all you need is to work hard”. From personal experience I can assure you, it takes more than hard work, expertise, or capital. Maybe right now, when all of us are facing shaky or hard economic realities, we can begin recognizing our cultural myths, and see them for what they are: Narratives to keep us going, make us fit in, keep us yearning.

Are we ready to stop oversimplifying the wild mix of luck, chaos, and grit that comes with fulfillment, entrepreneurship and most careers? I catch myself slipping into these tidy narratives myself. It has to stop.

Let’s admit that chance, timing, and happy accidents exist. Life and work are a roller-coaster — for everyone.

Let’s keep it real, and spare ourselves the frustration of blind, wishful thinking.

Maybe you’ve noticed the interesting choice of visuals lately. Finding an image that fits intangible topics like strategy, brand, or philosophical reflections is a massive challenge. Instead of just using Unsplash or spending valuable time on renderings, I’ve decided to infuse some Culture into this newsletter by choosing a work of art to pair with the writing. All part of a grand plan, as you can see. I hope you enjoy!