Is there room in your life for serendipity?
Serendipity: noun. The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. Synonyms: A happy accident. Good fortune.
I am a logical, practical, organized person. I like to plan ahead. I like to make lists. I like to play it safe. I like to know where I am going.
For example: When we go on vacation, I have planned all accommodations months in advance.
BUT
I also leave room for serendipity. To use the same example, when we go on vacation I research possible activities but intentionally leave the schedule open so we can flex with the weather and do what strikes our fancy on any given day. We have stumbled upon scenic vistas, funky local restaurants and fascinating hole-in-the-wall museums because we leave room in our vacation for spontaneity and happy chance.
It’s a balance. I would feel uptight if I didn’t know where I was sleeping each night. But once I have that settled I can relax and embrace what the day will bring.
To speak in more general terms:
Schedules, goals and focus are all good things. They help us cope with our busy modern lives. But when we get too rigid in our schedules, too focused on achieving our goals, or too stuck in our routines, we miss out on chance encounters and interesting side trails.
Serendipity is what happens when we are open to a spur-of-the-moment idea, a last-minute change of plans, or something unusual that catches our fancy.
For example: While sorting donations at the library I keep my eyes open for any title that strikes my fancy. I have found many great books that way—books that I would never have discovered otherwise.
Of course, not every book lives up to the promise of its cover, but I would rather give things a try and “waste” time going through some so-so experiences than play it safe and miss out on hidden gems.
How about you? Is there room in your life for moments of serendipity?
5 ways to make room for serendipity
- Pay attention. Look for opportunities as you go about life. If you look for them, you are more likely to notice them.
- Listen to your intuition. Overanalyzing will squash serendipity. Pay attention to whatever catches your eye and act on hunches without over-thinking, because indecision can result in lost opportunities. Obviously you need wisdom to avoid anything truly dangerous, but most serendipitous moments occur in the small things of life.
- Just try it. Serendipity comes to those who embrace novelty. Not all new experiences or chance encounters turn out to be delightful, but that is not a good reason to stop trying new things. Serendipity requires an open mind and teensy bit of risk-taking.
- Leave room in your life for slow. If you are in high gear 24/7 you’ll be too busy to notice anything beyond your to-do list. Serendipitous moments often happen when you have intentionally slowed your pace of life so you can afford to take small detours and discover new things.
- Cultivate an optimistic mindset. Those who dwell on the disappointments of the past are not as willing to embrace new things. Optimists enjoy more serendipitous moments because they believe good things will happen. When opportunities come, they are more willing to notice and accept them.
May you be surprised today by some small-but-wonderful bit of serendipity.
