Serendipity.
Do you think you meet people completely by chance or do you believe they are placed in your life for a reason?
This past week I was on my first podcast with my sweet friend, Bridget, and we talked about serendipity. Serendipity is when you accidentally find something good; when you have unexpected good luck. Other words to describe serendipity might be a “blessing” or a “godsend”. Often times it’s compared to a coincidence – although it’s similar, there’s a difference. Coincidence is when you accidentally find something good OR bad and serendipity is always good.
Bridget and I first met many years ago in passing and ran in some of the same circles but never really “knew each other” only “of each other”. I attended a women’s conference in August 2021 and Bridget was a speaker there. She mentioned a neat product during her talk that really caught my attention. It was a subscription that inspired personal growth and that was right up my alley. During one of the breaks, I went over to chat with her and asked where I could find what she mentioned. Our conversation was very brief. Little did I know, she and I would begin working together in a few months! We both have personal passion projects – her podcast and my blog – and we instantly connected and began collaborating and sharing our ideas on what’s next. Let’s just say, her “what’s next?” happens to be the exact thing she and I briefly discussed back in August. Serendipity, perhaps? Stay tuned!
That wasn’t the only serendipitous moment I had at the conference that day. I connected with Jess Ekstrom, who is the author of Chasing the Bright Side, founder of Headbands of Hope and developer of Prompted, an online journaling platform. After seeing she was the keynote speaker at the conference, I started following her and loved her optimistic outlook on life and how she wrote a book completely from that perspective, despite all the ups and downs life handed her. Quite honestly, she’s what made me show up that day and little did I know that she and I would later work together on one of her projects in the works.
Serendipity is often portrayed as just being “good luck” but I believe by having a prepared mind to see it and a heart open enough to accept it, you can attract and find more of it and here’s how:
- Say “yes” more often. Take those random invitations, especially if they are out of the blue and unexpected. You never really know where taking that chance might lead you.
- Go places! Not just any place, but places you might not normally go. Think back to the conference I’ve been talking about. I showed up without a wingman – completely by myself – and I truly believe that changed the course of my life for the better. It brought about a change I didn’t know I needed.
- Now that you are saying yes more often and going to new places, start saying “Yes, and…” to keep the serendipity rolling. How often do we say “Yes, but…” and kill an opportunity before we give it the chance? I’ll give you a quick example: Instead of keeping to myself at the conference that day, I said to myself, “I’m going AND I’m sitting smack dab in the middle of the room AND I’m going to put myself out there. My inner critic said, “Go but sit in the back, don’t get noticed or talk to the people you want to talk to because they really don’t want to talk to you anyways.” Say “YES, AND!” every time.
- Keep your eyes open for opportunities. When an opportunity presents itself, explore it. You really never know. Another quick example: After the conference, I messaged Jess (Ekstrom) to thank her for taking the time to talk to me at the conference and told her how much I enjoyed our conversation. I knew she’d never respond but I thought to myself, “What the heck do I have to lose? I’m just trying to be kind. Everyone appreciates that, right?” She responded! We stayed in touch, then she asked me to write journal pathways for Prompted.io, her guided online journaling platform. I was afraid to ask more questions and say yes, but I did! Guess what…that opportunity led me to another opportunity. More on that soon.
- Make connections for others. How often do you chat with a friend and think to yourself – she should meet up with the guy/girl I talked with last week about a similar project? MAKE THAT HAPPEN. Make that connection for your friend. It may not benefit you, but you are creating that serendipity in the lives of others. My new pal, Bridget, is REALLY good at this.
The conference I’ve been raving about is called Fuel Conference and it’s hosted in August at the White Chateau in Owensboro, KY, by Suzanne White. I never imagined what this conference would bring me, but it’s brought me my new friend, Bridget, who fuels my creativity; and an opportunity to be a contributor to an online journaling platform alongside some of the most world-renowned thought leaders. And to bring it all full circle, I’m presenting at the FUEL conference in August 2022 by leading a Journaling Workshop. Public speaking is something I’ve always avoided at all cost, but something I’ve always secretly wished I could do well. I tried to say “no” but decided to say “Yes, AND I’m going to get a coach to help me develop this skill, AND speak on this podcast – Bloom with Bridget – AND continue to share my story to help others.”
I hope you say Yes, and…, explore more opportunities and create serendipitous moments in your life and share them with me. I’d love to hear about them!
Photo by Sammie Chaffin on Unsplash
Stacy Roberts
Jessica, I love to read what you write. You are so good at this. I definitely want to attend the Fuel conference. Let me know if there are other conferences like this too. Thank you!
Jessica
Stacy RobertsThank you, Stacy! I would LOVE to see you at the Fuel Conference!! ♥️