Schmo is the personal website of Stuart Curran, a UK-based designer.

Decisive moments

Success is not the result of hard work but good timing.

Sometimes being the right person, in the right place at the right time is what counts. You might call that being lucky.

But luck is where opportunity meets preparedness.

Being lucky is a process

Recognising opportunity, being prepared and seizing the moment. The process for creating luck.

You can put your faith in the universe or pray. Mere serendipity is not systematic though so you may be in for a wait.

You need to create your own luck if you want to experience decisive moments. 

Recognising opportunity

Opportunities are around you all the time. They are perhaps better known as problems.

Cultivate a problem-seeking mindset. Solutions are boring. Even clients don’t want to hear about solutions - they’d rather hear about problems that they can relate to.

Being prepared

Be curious about everything, all of the time. Forget about the practical application of what you learn. Study the world for its own sake.

As sure as night follows day, I guarantee that you will find a match for your learning in problems that the world presents to you.

Seizing the moment

When opportunity meets preparedness will you act

It sounds so simple but a willingness to take the first step, to fear embarrassment but do it anyway, is all that matters in the end.

90% of success is turning up. But the other 10% is being decisive in the moment.

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