How To Get Lucky (Without Getting Lucky)

Read time: 6 minutes

Hey, welcome back.

Last week, we unpacked the neuroscience of rest — and why you're probably making worse decisions than you think when you're tired.

​You can read that (and all past issues, here).

By the way, if you're finding these insights helpful, I've started collecting all these tools, resources, and one-sheets in the ever-growing 'Science of Success' vault. Check it out here for additional materials on today's topic and more.

Today, I want to double down—not on grit porn or “embrace the pain” mantras—but something more strategic:

The Art of Not Quitting (Without Burning Out)

But here’s what I didn’t write underneath this post (check it out here)

Most people don’t quit because they’re weak.​
They quit because their strategy for staying in the game is broken.

Not Everyone Can Goggins Their Way Through

Look—I respect David Goggins. His mental toughness is legendary.

But let’s be honest: Most people can’t white-knuckle their way through life. And trying to brute force your way through hard things usually ends the same way: Burnout. Doubt. Collapse.

So if “just keep pushing” isn’t sustainable… what is?

Let me introduce a different approach.

The 90/10 Framework: Learn. Then Test.

Here’s a concept I use with myself, my team, and other founders:

Learn 90%. Test 10%. Then reverse it.

Let me explain.

Most people try something once, it doesn’t work, and they quit.
Others try to learn everything forever before doing anything.

Both are traps.

The 90/10 approach starts like this:

Phase 1: 90% Learning, 10% Testing

• You read, watch, listen, absorb.
• You take tiny, low-stakes action: a blog post, a DM, a cold pitch, a sketch.
• You gather data and build confidence without pressure.

Phase 2: 70/30

• You test more. You iterate. You start sharing publicly.
• Your learning gets more specific (and useful).

Phase 3: 50/50

• You’re in motion. You learn as you go.
• You let your feedback loops drive your education.

Eventually: 90% Testing, 10% Learning

• You’re operating.
• You only learn what solves problems in real-time.

Think About Learning to Drive

Remember when you first learned to drive?

It was terrifying. So many moving parts: mirrors, signals, pedals, blind spots. You were 90% focused on learning, 10% on actually doing.

Over time, that flipped.

Now? You don’t think about it. You just drive. You test in real-time.
You adjust to traffic, terrain, and weather instinctively.

That’s the arc of mastery in anything.

This Is What Keeps You From Quitting

People quit when they:

• Don’t have small wins to anchor progress
• Compare their early testing to someone’s final form
• Try to build a skill under pressure, perfectionism, or public scrutiny

The 90/10 method creates a private runway for confidence.
It makes progress inevitable. It removes shame from the process.

And it makes not quitting feel logical—not heroic.

The Real “Luck” Is Built in the Reps

Here’s the truth no one tells you:

You don’t need to believe in yourself when you’re learning.
You just need to keep showing up long enough to build evidence.

Eventually, the belief will follow.

Not quitting isn’t just about resilience.
It’s about design.

Design your effort so you can stay in the game.

Start small.
Test slow.
Then ramp up.

And one day, they’ll call you “lucky.”

But you’ll know:
It was just the math of not quitting.

To long games and quiet reps,
​Dan

P.S. If you’re stuck in learning mode, try this: publish something today that’s 10% worse than you want it to be. The speed matters more than the polish.

SOS (Science of Success) Curated:

LinkedIn of the week: Work should challenge you, but it should never cost you your peace.​

Podcast of the week: #1 Holistic Doctor: These TOXINS in Your Home Are Making You Sick​

My Tweet of the week: There’s a version of you who sleeps well, speaks kindly to themselves, and feels calm on Monday mornings.​

Make Progress Without Burnout

Psychologists call it the Testing Effect—you remember more when you actively recall info (test) than when you passively consume it (study).
In fact, retrieval practice leads to up to 70% better retention than rereading. Even imperfect testing strengthens memory more than perfect reviewing.

In the real world, this isn’t about quizzes—it’s about doing the thing.
You don’t learn to drive by reading the manual 100 times. You learn by getting behind the wheel. Over and over again.

Try this:​
Start with 90% learning, 10% testing.
Then shift to 80/20.
Then 60/40.
Eventually, you want to be testing 90%, learning 10%.

The best way to not quit? Make testing the habit. Let results guide the learning—not the other way around.

Progress comes from motion, not mastery.

​→ Link to study​

​→ Other Sources​

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1-1 Coaching with Dan

In my goal to help more entrepreneurs/people who are looking to level up their careers, I've just started taking 1-1 consulting calls (only 1 a week)

Why book a call? Some of my expertise/success:

I've built 5 startups. 1 win, 1 fail, and 3 still going.

E-Commerce: Heights — with revenue over $15M a year.

Community: Foundrs, one of the UK's top founder communities

Podcasting: Leaders Media - bootstrapped media company that makes the UK's top business podcasts, Secret Leaders, with over 50M downloads.

Health/Mental Health: Managed to overcome burnout, insomnia, depression & anxiety in pursuit of success as I talk about in my interview with Steven Bartlett on Diary of a CEO​

Angel Investing: I've invested in over 90 startups

Coached & Mentored: Certified coach & done lots of mentoring

Personal Brand: Have grown to 178k on LinkedIn and X (Twitter) in the past 12 months

So if you're interested in booking a session with me to talk all things business or building a personal brand, book for 30-minutes or 45-minutes. (limited spots).

Science of Success Vault

I'm building a vault of valuable tools, resources, and one sheets that I hope help you succeed.

These will be stored in the ever-growing 'Science of Success' vault — you can always access that here

Want to take your success (even more) seriously? 👇​
🧠 Fuel your brain and feed your gut, try Heights here (use code 'SOSDMS' for 15% off your first month of any subscription

🎧 Check out my podcast Secret Leaders here​

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