Becoming an entrepreneur I told myself every day that I was never going

I was probably about 22 years old when someone first told me I was lucky, it was the first of many times that a lot of different people have referred to me as lucky. I started my adult life in a hostel for homeless teenagers so I believe the truth of my young life was very far from lucky and I have had to make my own luck by spotting opportunities, taking risks and putting in the effort, I didn't win the lottery!

Most of the times this has occurred (and in the first instance too) it came during a conversation about education and the person or persons telling me I was lucky are university graduates explaining to me that the reason I am further ahead than them and earning more money at a younger age is because I am lucky. They believe that this could only be possible through chance or luck and could not possibly be down to the fact that I found an easier and better route to success that is free and quick to implement.

I can't generalize too much but a great deal of the college graduates that I have met have a small chip on their shoulder that the world owes them a better life because they earned a degree. I had 3 years head start on these guys and made things happen for myself, by the time they had graduated and were looking for their first rung job I had gained 3 years experience in my chosen field, I was earning good money and was considering starting my first business. If you are a graduate I suspect you probably dislike me don't you? You are not happy reading this and you think I am a smug idiot who got lucky?

If you knew me you would know I am not smug at all and I dedicate most of my time now to helping people achieve new things, to better their situation and make a wealthier, more enjoyable life for themselves. I like to show people that it is not your background, your education (or lack of it), the money you have now, your disabilities, what you have got or what you haven't that shapes your future. It's you, your attitude your enthusiasm and your commitment to being brilliant and remarkable that can change your life. Self belief that you can make it happen and the drive to do it, is really all you need.

I obviously realize that certain professions dictate that a university education is mandatory e.g. doctors, engineers, architects, lawyers etc. I also think that it is a great thing to do if that's what you want but don't believe it's your automatic ticket to success because it is not.

What I have written here is an over simplified summary of what I believe and teach but the principle exists and it works. Most of the entrepreneurs I know never went to university or they dropped out before they graduated. I suspect most of the entrepreneurs you know of did the same. I would make a bet that a good deal of the worlds richest people never graduated from university unless they already came from a wealthy background.

If you look at a lot of sport stars and athletes that come from very poor backgrounds, they never told themselves that they can't make it to the Olympics or the world cup because they are poor and come from a bad neighborhood. They tell themselves: "WHATEVER IT TAKES, I can do it, I will do it, I have to make it". When I left the homeless hostel and took my first steps to becoming an entrepreneur I told myself every day that I was never going back and I was going to make it whatever it takes! I had nothing to lose and I put all my chips down. There is a saying I heard the other day "Drive it like you stole it" in other words put your foot down and hurry up as if the police were chasing. It made me smile and I thought that should be a metaphor for how people should live their lives; we get too comfortable with very little and worry about what we might lose but if we lived like we had all just left a homeless hostel with nothing to lose we might all achieve 10 times more in our lives.

Matt Kinsella is the author of How To Be Lucky, a book about how Matt came from being a homeless teen to become a successful entrepreneur and his guide to how others can do something similar. How To Be Lucky is not about chance or the kind of luck you need to win the lottery it's about making your own luck. The philosophies and techniques Matt discovered that helped him turn his life around changed his life so much he saw no reason why he could not document them along with his story and turn them into his book How To Be Lucky, to help people achieve great success from nothing in the same way he did.
I was probably about 22 years old when someone first told me I was lucky, it was the first of many times that a lot of different people have referred to me as lucky. I started my adult life in a hostel for homeless teenagers so I believe the truth of my young life was very far from lucky and I have had to make my own luck by spotting opportunities, taking risks and putting in the effort, I didn't win the lottery!

Most of the times this has occurred (and in the first instance too) it came during a conversation about education and the person or persons telling me I was lucky are university graduates explaining to me that the reason I am further ahead than them and earning more money at a younger age is because I am lucky. They believe that this could only be possible through chance or luck and could not possibly be down to the fact that I found an easier and better route to success that is free and quick to implement.

I can't generalize too much but a great deal of the college graduates that I have met have a small chip on their shoulder that the world owes them a better life because they earned a degree. I had 3 years head start on these guys and made things happen for myself, by the time they had graduated and were looking for their first rung job I had gained 3 years experience in my chosen field, I was earning good money and was considering starting my first business. If you are a graduate I suspect you probably dislike me don't you? You are not happy reading this and you think I am a smug idiot who got lucky?

If you knew me you would know I am not smug at all and I dedicate most of my time now to helping people achieve new things, to better their situation and make a wealthier, more enjoyable life for themselves. I like to show people that it is not your background, your education (or lack of it), the money you have now, your disabilities, what you have got or what you haven't that shapes your future. It's you, your attitude your enthusiasm and your commitment to being brilliant and remarkable that can change your life. Self belief that you can make it happen and the drive to do it, is really all you need.

I obviously realize that certain professions dictate that a university education is mandatory e.g. doctors, engineers, architects, lawyers etc. I also think that it is a great thing to do if that's what you want but don't believe it's your automatic ticket to success because it is not.