Serendipity and Luck
Turning Chance Encounters into Opportunity
It may seem fruitless to prepare for chance encounters that can’t possibly be predicted, but social psychologists who have studied why some people are “luckier” than others have discovered that it is possible to cultivate thoughts, connections and behaviors that help increase, or at least allow one to take advantage of serendipitous occurrences.
By developing specific mental habits, maintaining a strong network of friends and acquaintances and inviting new people and circumstances into one’s life, experts agree it is possible to create better luck.
Imagine and Practice for Chance Encounters to Improve Success
Colleen Seifert, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, has introduced a concept she calls “predictive encoding” that describes the first step toward preparing for serendipity when it arises.
Seifert knows that research has shown that most people aren’t very good at remembering information or intentions when they need them most — like the one necessary item at the grocery store for instance. Seifert suggests that by imagining scenarios where intentions and desires might be fulfilled, the mind is encoded for immediately recognizing opportunities that will assist in reaching those goals. Thus, when opportunity does knock, the chances of successfully realizing and taking advantage of the situation are significantly increased.
Stepping Outside the Routine Increases Odds for Lucky Encounters
An active and varied lifestyle with new situations and people is a sure way to increase the odds that more chance encounters that could turn into opportunity will occur.
And it doesn’t take much to improve the odds of experiencing opportunity-filled encounters. Simply alter little things and see what happens. Shop at a different grocery store or eat lunch in the park. Visit a different church or take in a lecture, go to a meeting or sign up for class on an unfamiliar topic or in a location. Open to the possibility that serendipity can arrive when you least expect it.
Managing Stress Improves Ability to See Seredipitous Occurences
Richard Wiseman, a professor at the University of Hertfordshire in England, after a decade of studying luck, insists that only 10 percent of life is truly random and the rest is defined by thinking.
Anxiety, stress and preoccupation, he believes, cause people to miss even the most obvious opportunities. A laid-back attitude that frees one to observe and act on circumstances is essential to increasing serendipity.
Making and Maintaining Connections Encourages Opportunities
Opportunity is everywhere according to Wiseman, and Seifert believes that adopting an attitude of seeing interactions and connections with people as gifts that may lead to unforeseen opportunity down the road is essential.
Creating a strong network of friendships and acquaintances helps promote opportunity, and paying attention to each interaction may pave the way for future encounters and occurrences.
Are some people just luckier than others or can we influence our own destiny in a few simple steps?
Luck is a State of Mind that Can Be Cultivated
According to Seifert and Wiseman, luck and serendipity are just states of mind. Lucky people not only prepare themselves for chance opportunities by imagining what it will look like when they get what they want, they actively create situations and cultivate relationships that allow them to see and act when opportunity presents itself.
Luck is More than a Four Leaf Clover
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