Beyond Luck: Engaging the World Through Mastery, Meaning, and Perspective

Life is not a straightforward sequence of wins. It is an uneven weave of joy and loss, success and failure, privilege and exclusion. As a psychologist, I witness the tension people hold between their desire for control and the undeniable unpredictability of life. A question often arises: Why do some flourish while others stumble, even under seemingly similar circumstances?

Marc Andreessen’s framework of four types of luck, from blind chance to the kind that “finds you” because of who you’ve become, offers one way of reflecting on this. It’s a helpful metaphor for exploring how meaning emerges, how mastery develops, and how suffering coexists with growth.

Yet it’s important to pause here. Frameworks like this often assume an even playing field, suggesting that everyone has equal access to the benefits of luck if they only work hard enough. This is a comforting idea, but an incomplete one. For many people, systemic inequities, cultural marginalisation, and the legacies of colonisation shape which forms of luck are even possible.

The “game” is not the same for all. Some start several steps behind, or must work harder simply to be allowed onto the field. Acknowledging this truth does not diminish personal agency or resilience, it deepens it, situating individual effort within the realities of broader systems.

The Unavoidable Reality: Suffering as Part of Life

Suffering is part of the human condition. Loss, illness, and failure are experiences we all share. Existential psychology, Buddhist philosophy, and trauma research alike affirm that life’s challenges are not detours, but integral to the journey.

But not all suffering is created equal. For LGBTQIAP+ individuals, neurodivergent people, and communities still carrying the weight of colonisation or systemic exclusion, suffering often includes the pain of invalidation ,of being told, implicitly or explicitly, that who they are is less worthy or that their struggles are personal failings rather than the result of unjust systems.

Research on minority stress and intergenerational trauma highlights how these invisible burdens affect mental health and opportunity. Recognising this does not mean magnifying suffering; it means seeing clearly, with compassion, the different contexts in which people live and grow.

Blind Luck ,Responding to the Unpredictable

The first form of luck is random chance. Being born into safety, stability, and opportunity can shape the entire course of a life. So can being born into environments marked by exclusion, violence, or poverty.

Acknowledging this randomness matters. Pretending everyone starts with the same roll of the dice risks blaming individuals for circumstances beyond their control. For example, a neurodivergent student may be framed as “difficult” rather than supported, or a queer young person may be rejected by family ,not through any fault of their own, but because of systems of belief and expectation that invalidate their existence.

From an ACT-informed perspective, noticing these realities with openness rather than judgment allows space for compassionate action: to ourselves, and to others who carry different weights through life.

Motion and Exploration, Engaging Through Action

The second kind of luck emerges from action. People who explore, experiment, and engage with the world increase the chances of encountering opportunity. Movement generates possibilities.

But again, this movement is not experienced equally. For some, curiosity is celebrated; for others, it may be punished. A young woman of colour speaking up in a workplace may face scrutiny that her white male colleague never encounters. A trans athlete may risk exclusion simply by showing up to compete.

Research on curiosity and openness shows the benefits of action, but lived experience reminds us that these actions exist within cultural contexts. Perspective-taking helps us hold both truths: that engaging with the world fosters growth, and that the cost of engagement is not borne equally.

Preparation and Mastery, Building Skill and Competence

Preparation and mastery, the third type of luck, are cultivated through practice and persistence. Skills build confidence, and confidence builds opportunity.

But again, mastery is not just individual effort; it’s shaped by access. Who can afford training? Whose knowledge is validated? Which forms of excellence are celebrated, and which are erased?

Decolonising psychology reminds us that “mastery” must be broadened. Indigenous knowledge systems, queer creativity, neurodivergent problem-solving, and non-Western traditions all hold forms of wisdom often dismissed by dominant culture. True mastery includes not only skill acquisition but also recognition of diverse ways of knowing and being.

Character and Perspective ,Becoming the Person for Whom Luck Finds You

The final type of luck emerges from identity ,from who you consistently become. Over time, choices, values, and actions create a gravity that attracts certain opportunities.

Here perspective-taking becomes crucial. From an ACT lens, self-distancing allows us to observe thoughts and feelings without being ruled by them. From a social justice lens, perspective-taking also means acknowledging how our identities ,race, gender, sexuality, neurotype, class ,shape both the opportunities we receive and the barriers we face.

For LGBTQIAP+ and neurodivergent people, becoming “the kind of person luck finds” often includes the additional work of resisting invalidation and carving out space where their authenticity can be honoured. This, too, is mastery.

Integrating Luck, Suffering, and Meaning

Meaning does not emerge from a life of uninterrupted good fortune. It emerges when we engage ,with suffering, with difference, with the world as it is. Noticing our own narratives, reflecting on the systems we live in, and aligning action with values enables us to create coherence even amidst inequity and uncertainty.

Luck, in this sense, is not a level field. Some have more to push against, and some are lifted more easily by circumstance. Yet growth remains possible for all, not by denying systemic inequities, but by acknowledging them ,and choosing to engage in ways that affirm both personal and collective meaning.

A Narrative Beyond Fortune

Luck shapes us, but it does not define us. Meaning emerges through the interplay of awareness, compassion, and committed action. Recognising the unevenness of luck ,shaped by history, culture, and systems ,invites us to hold our stories, and the stories of others, with greater humility and care.

To live fully is to notice, to act, and to choose in alignment with values ,not only for ourselves, but in ways that challenge injustice and expand what is possible for others. In doing so, we move beyond luck into lives of mastery, resilience, and deeply interwoven meaning.