Well, what is serendipity? How can we achieve those serendipitous moments? Is it just good luck caused by some supernatural forces?

The short answer, no. Serendipity refers to random events that are beneficial and seem to come out of the blue. 

If that is the case, then isn’t it impossible to increase your amount of serendipitous moments? Actually, no. There are ways in which you can increase your likelihood of having these lucky events happen to you, which I will discuss in the next section.

Increasing Good Luck?

Remember the example above about finding your dream job? While it may seem random, there are concrete steps that you can take to increase your likelihood of getting that job. Recall that in that example, you went into a networking event. That by itself will increase the chances of hitting the jackpot so to speak because you are placing yourself in a position to be open to discovering opportunities. Had you chosen to stay in that day, you would have missed a shot at meeting that person who refers you to your dream job. 

Okay, so in this example, attending the networking event proved pivotal to landing that position. But, are there steps that you can take so that you can increase your chances of nabbing that spot? Yes, doing your research ahead of time will help you be prepared to find out about what the event is about, as well as give you some insight on what to do to prepare for the event. 

Or take the classes that you might take if you are a student. If you are working hard and do some research into which schools you would like to attend, then you are more likely to get the experience that you want. As a college student, one resource that I recommend is RateMyProfessors, which is a website that allows you to search up your professors before you register for a class. If you want to have a professor that is a good match for you, then doing some research in advance will increase the likelihood that you will have a great professor.

As you can see from the examples above, having good things come your way is not entirely random. While there are no guarantees that researching a networking event will land you that position that you have always been dreaming about, or looking into the professor you are going to take Calc 1 with will put you in good company in class, there are steps that you can take to increase the likelihood that positive events come your way.

Changing Your Perspective

One thing that I will also note is the fact that your perspective will impact the way that you feel about your life. Remaining dependent on external things going your way is not the best way to increase your sense of happiness. Good luck also arises from the way that you look at things.

Take a skiing accident. This event can be traumatic, but it does not have to end in tragedy. For many people, while the accident itself is painful, the determination and will to live became stronger. In this case, the person learned to grow from this experience, and thus increased their capacity to enjoy life and live in what psychologists call flow, which is a topic that I will dive into in a future post. By learning to live with a renewed sense of purpose, this person was able to turn a potential tragedy into a growth experience.

While most of us will not have a freak accident like a major skiing accident, there will be times when life seems to be in the doldrums and it seems like nothing goes our way. When this happens, remember to have faith that things will work out, but to also look at things through a different lens.