Serendipity, Gus and Facebook
Those that know me are aware I have an addiction to constant improvement and read about 20 books a year, having collected a very robust library over the past 30 years. This addiction started before college as my Grandfather shared his ragged old books with me. My favorite is the Dale Carnegie collection, first edition and personally autographed – apparently Dale and my Grandfather were fishing buddies. My books, even the Dale Carnegie collection, are highlighted, dogeared and referred to frequently. Traditionally, I buy a case and give my favorite book of the year to family and friends around Christmas. This year it was The Serendipity Mind Set by Dr. Christian Busch.
2020 was a year full of uncertainty and unpredictability –
Serendipity was evident all around us if we have the eyes to see it.
Merriam Webster defines Serendipity as “the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought after.” They go on to compare and contrast Serendipity and Luck.
There is considerable similarity between luck and serendipity, but there are also settings in which one word might be more apt than the other. Serendipity has a fairly narrow meaning, one that is concerned with finding pleasing things that one had not been looking for, while luck has a somewhat broader range (with meanings such as "a force that brings good fortune or adversity," "success," and "the events or circumstances that operate for or against an individual"). One might easily be said to have luck that is bad, which one would not say of serendipity.
Modern life can feel like an endless sequence of surprises: cancelled plans, last-minute meetings and missed deadlines. So how can we use unpredictability to our advantage. The big difference for me has more to do with one’s mind set than anything else. Samuel Goldwyn is credited with the quote, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.”
At Scythe & Spade we know too well, “Success Favors the Prepared Mind”, Louis Pasteur
The ability to embrace uncertainty and transform it into opportunity, is a tool for innovation and overcoming biases. Consider the following recent examples:
Alcohol based hand sanitizers produced by breweries during 2020
Automakers pivoting to make ventilators during 2020
Ride Share programs for seniors transforming into emergency services during 2020
Best Buy actions after Hurricane Maria in 2017 – a fabulous case study!
Sildenafil (AKA Viagra) – it’s not, as originally thought, a heart medicine but did reveal some unintended benefits.
Facebook ain’t all that bad (tongue in cheek)
As an example, I was driving through central Oregon recently on a long open stretch of highway when a friend posted on Facebook that their Airedale “Gus” was missing from their Ranch and had been missing for over 24 hours, hopefully enduring a night below freezing and avoiding predators, including lions, coyotes, bears, and the most dangerous - semis, buses and snow plows.
Instead of taking the direct route to my destination, I detoured and took some back roads near the ranch, so I could keep an eye out for Gus. I was confident I would find him, for some unexplained reason (Perhaps it was a Serendipity Mindset taking hold) I did in fact find him. He was standing in the middle of the road, bloody paws, disoriented, shivering and matted with mud. He narrowly missed getting hit by the truck in front of me and initially ran away from me when I stopped and called to him. Fortunately, I always travel with my dog, Hancock and had access to some treats and water. Once in the back seat, he was visibly relieved and grateful to be found, even by someone he’d only met once or twice in as many years.
Did I create my own luck? I like to think so. Regardless, both Gus and his family are back together.
If you are confronted with something unexpected or unplanned…
choose to do something about it.