Dear Fortitude family,

Welcome back to my midweek motivation! Each day and week brings its own set of experiences and inspirations, compelling me to share my thoughts with all of you.

As I always say, being a deep thinker means my mind is always racing. I had a number of different topics I wanted to write about this week. However, after reminiscing with a buddy of mine, he inspired me to focus on a particular topic: luck. Luck is a complex issue, one that many of us attribute extreme success to. I don't mean to come across aggressively, but losers often attribute other people's success to luck. The reality is that people who are deeply unsatisfied with their own lives look at those who achieve great things and say, "They got lucky." The truth is, people making such statements could have achieved great things too, but they never chose to bet on themselves. That's the burden they have to bear.

Now, let's rewind to the conversation with my friend. We connected over a mutual respect for an ultra-successful entrepreneur. We admired his work ethic, noting how he went from $0 to hundreds of millions in just a five-year window. I remarked, "It's not luck; anyone can attain this if they're willing to bet on themselves." His response struck a chord within me. He quoted something I had said when I was 16: "I create my own luck." He vividly remembered that I had made this comment after a play in football practice when a coach asked me if I had gotten lucky. The crazy part is, I don't even remember saying it. The crazier part was that, after all these years, he still remembered I had said that. To be honest, I lost that confident conviction for a while; from ages 18 to 24, that belief had deserted me. Thankfully, it found its way back to me on my journey.

There are several variations of luck. However, at its core, I view luck in a very distinct way: you put yourself in a position to be "lucky." I create luck by waking up every morning at 4:30 a.m. to work out and write. I create luck by driving to New York for a one-hour lunch meeting with my favorite content creator. I create luck by being willing to wake up early and stay up late to get things done. I create luck by putting myself in rooms where I don't naturally belong. This isn't to say I am successful or guaranteed to be successful. However, it's to let you know that when I achieve the things I aim to achieve, it won't be because I was an overnight success. Countless hours, days, weeks, and months of effort will have gone into it, all largely unseen. Will luck play a role? Absolutely, but you better believe that I will have been manifesting it along the way. Could I fail? Certainly. However, I'm willing to bet that, at the very least, I'll win by simply outlasting everyone else.

Now, my question to you is, are you creating your own luck?

Warm regards,

Colin Jonov CEO & Founder, Athletic Fortitude