There are people who seem to be in the right place at the perfect time. Everything works out for them. The right contacts, the exact opportunities, the ideal moment. And from the outside, we call it “luck.”

But what if I told you that’s not entirely true?

Sometimes, to get better results, you don’t need more effort — just better strategy. A few tweaks in the way you think (and act) can skyrocket your performance in ways that seem “magical.”

You can stack the odds in your favor — and it’s not magic.

It’s statistics.

The Normal Distribution

We tend to focus on the average.

It’s convenient — it lets us generalize.

Many variables follow a normal distribution. For example: height or weight in a population, human intelligence, body temperature, noise levels, the size of tree leaves, or the consumption of many products.

Most values cluster around the middle. The extreme cases are rare.

If you plotted this on a graph, it would look like this:

Most cases are centered around the middle. The norm is somewhere in between.

• Average height.

• Average intelligence.

• Average consumption of a product.

We use this statistical distribution as an innate mental model to understand the world. We assume most things lie in the middle. And that’s true in some cases. But in others… it’s the complete opposite.

And that’s where we go wrong.

The Pareto Distribution

The normal distribution is easy to understand, but we live in an increasingly complex world. And in this world, things don’t always cluster in the middle — very often, they concentrate at the extremes.

Vilfredo Pareto noticed that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. Since then, that observation has shown up in countless places…

• 80% of results come from 20% of efforts (Pareto’s Law).

• 90% of revenue comes from 10% of clients.

• 99% of internet traffic goes to 1% of websites.

This isn’t a normal distribution — it’s a Pareto distribution.

Now, most values are at one extreme. What’s rare is the middle ground.

If 20% of your actions produce 80% of your results, then your resources (time, energy, money) shouldn’t be spread out evenly. It’s that left-side extreme where you should focus to maximize results.

That’s where real “luck” lives.

Pareto Distribution in Practice

1. Personalized Marketing vs. Mass Marketing

You could send thousands of generic emails.
Or you could send dozens of personalized emails tailored to each recipient.

The first approach has greater reach, but most people will ignore you. You’ll lose potential customers for not taking the time to craft a message based on each person’s interests and needs.

What happens in the end?

Fewer emails, aimed at the right people, generate more income.

2. Dining with the Right People vs. Mass Networking

Imagine you have €1,000 and two options: spend it on social media ads or invite the 10 key people in your industry to a business lunch. What do you do?

Ads might seem like the obvious choice — easy to measure, scalable, and low effort.

But if just one person at that lunch connects you to the right partner, closes a deal with you, or recommends you for a key opportunity… that encounter is worth more than 1,000 or even 2,000 random clicks.

That’s 80/20. The Pareto Principle.

3. The 1% Clients

Paul Graham, a respected investor, once said something I’ll never forget: “I’ve never seen a startup regret treating their first customers exceptionally well.”

Your first customers aren’t just clients. They are your 1% clients.

Don’t invest equally in all your customers. Invest heavily in that 1% who truly need and value your product or service. These are the people who won’t let you down and will generate the bulk of your growth.

A business may be convenient for many, but crucial for a few.

Focus on those few.

4. Relationships: The Myth of Hundreds of Friends

How many people can you have a life-changing conversation with?

According to Dunbar’s number, a person can maintain about 150 stable social relationships. Beyond that, connections tend to get more shallow and distant. You don’t need more friends. You need deeper relationships with the right ones.

4 or 5 people who listen to you.

Who challenge you to be better.

Who are there at critical moments.

That’s worth more than 100 empty friendships.

Why Does the Pareto Distribution Work?

Because no one else is doing it.

Most people only think in averages, metrics, and volume.

But the real value is where no one’s looking — in that corner of the graph where effort and outcome aren’t proportional. Where a small, smart move yields a massive result. Where one tiny, well-placed action is worth 10, 100, or 1,000 times more.

That’s where the right contacts are.
The perfect opportunities.
The ideal timing…

And from the outside, that’s what we call “luck.”

✍️ Your turn: What methods do you use to get luckier?

💭 Quote of the day: «Then when luck comes you are ready.» Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea.