# Is luck random — or can you cultivate it?

- Institution: TED
- Department: TED@BCG
- Speaker: Christian Busch
- Year: 2025
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/christian_busch_is_luck_random_or_can_you_cultivate_it)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

When the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires destroyed his home and neighborhood, scientist Christian Busch encountered the opposite of serendipity: "zemblanity," or bad luck by design. Drawing on more than a decade of scientific research, he explores how people can navigate unpredictability by adopting a serendipity mindset that transforms setbacks into unexpected new beginnings. He asks: What if good luck isn't random but can actually be cultivated?

## Lectures

1. [Is luck random — or can you cultivate it?](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/christian_busch_is_luck_random_or_can_you_cultivate_it/17e14f38e8f4), 13 min (TED's player)