NEW BOOK · JULY 1, 2026
A framework for understanding why some people consistently create opportunities and capitalize on them while others wait for luck that never arrives.
Available July 1, 2026
Ships July 1, 2026. Pre-order the Kindle edition now on Amazon. Paperback goes live on launch day, July 1, on Amazon. Bookshop and other indie retailers may open paperback pre-order later — this page will be the first to know.
Kindle pre-order is live now on Amazon. Amazon paperback goes live on launch day, July 1. Bookshop and indie-retailer paperback distribution is still being finalized; pre-order may open before launch or shortly after. Email list members hear first.
Chase was told repeatedly that he was lucky. He heard it from friends, family, and near-strangers. Over time, that explanation became less convincing.
The Illusion of Luck introduces an analytical framework for evaluating how and why repetitive, compounding successes take place. What the world calls luck is often the visible result of three forces working beneath the surface: Preparedness, Opportunity, and Action.
This is not a self-help book. It is a thinking framework for anyone who has ever looked at someone else's life and thought, They just got lucky, and wants to understand what actually happened.
What the world calls luck is the visible result of three forces working beneath the surface.
The invisible work done before opportunity arrives.
The moment that appears random but is attracted by preparation.
The decisive move that converts preparation into outcomes.
"Luck"
Engineered Outcomes
It was never luck.
Pages of breakdown
Chapters of insight
Core forces behind every outcome
Framework to explain them all
In my five decades of leading Soldiers and shaping young future leaders, I have watched the same pattern Chase shares here. Preparation compounds silently until the world mistakes it for fortune.
Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Former Commander, 82nd Airborne Division. President Emeritus, Georgia Military College.
”I've spent my career evaluating what separates the companies and careers that result in immense success. Chase has it right. The results look like luck only to those who weren't watching the work.
Ray Conley, CEO, Creekstone Energy
Former Partner, Oak Hill Capital and Palo Alto Investors. Former Consultant, McKinsey & Company.
”
Chase Sheffield grew up in rural Georgia and has begun building a career as a business leader, attorney, and consultant. His work draws on diverse experience across engineering, startups, finance, and his time in the Army. The path spans Deloitte, the Army Reserve, startup operations, and energy development.
Rural Georgia
Grew up learning the value of work in his father's auto repair shop.
University of Tennessee
Earned a BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering. Commissioned into the Army Reserve.
Ohio State + Army Reserve
Completed a Juris Doctor at Ohio State Moritz while serving as an Army Reserve officer.
Deloitte
Strategy and transactions work at a Big Four firm.
Creekstone Energy
Director of Operations and Legal at an energy development startup.
The Illusion of Luck
The framework that started as a question became a book.
Fireside conversations, panels, classroom sessions, keynotes, and workshops on preparation, leadership, and building what others mistake for luck.
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