The Theory of Serendipity

This is something I don’t talk about a lot. Frankly, it sounds too “New Age”-ish. Too woo-woo. I can’t explain it. There’s no science behind it. No rhyme nor reason. It blends science and faith. And somehow, it works. So grab your tin-foil hat and hang on …

I call it “Cliff’s Theory of Serendipity”

What is this theory?

I’m glad you asked.

Cliff’s Theory of Serendipity states that when you take action, no matter how small, the universe opens up and presents you with opportunities. Any problems you have melt away in the face of solutions the universe presents to you.

Nearly 3 weeks have passed since I wrote “Anyone can build a website”. During that time, I’ve done one thing every day to build out my “Coffee with Cliff” website and book project.

Did I know what my website would look like? No. But I do now.

Did I know how to put my book together? No. But I do now.

Did I know how I could impact 1 million people? No. But I do now.

Like the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”. Near the end of the movie, Indy has to navigate 3 challenges to save his father from dying. One of the challenges involves him crossing a bottomless chasm that is impossible to jump.

It’s a leap of faith.

Finally, Indy puts his hand on his heart and takes that first step. Amazingly, he doesn’t fall to his death. He hangs in mid-air. Indy looks down and sees that his foot is on a bridge. The bridge is carefully constructed such that you can only see the bridge if you’re standing on it. But he had to take that one step forward.

My theory is two steps.

The first does have some science behind it.

At 99U, Simon Sinek, author of “Start with Why”, points out “When you cross something off your to-do list, you feel great. That’s dopamine. The whole reason for dopamine is to make sure we get stuff done.”

If I check off my “One Thing”, then I feel good. I check off the next “one thing” and that feeling continues. When I feel good, my mind is open to new possibilities. New opportunities present themselves.

Which leads to the second part which involves faith …

In the book “1% Rule”, Tommy Baker writes “People come out of the woodwork, strangers are naturally drawn to you, and you start to feel a deep sense of alignment and certainty. A teacher or mentor appears at the right place and time. You listen to a snippet of a YouTube video that startles you in how specifically it connects to your vision. You receive a random message from a random stranger on a random day — and then recognize that nothing in life is random.”

What happened?

I eventually gate up. Because I started running into problem after problem. And no idea how to solve it.

It’s like drawing a map to get you from where you are to where you want to be. You can’t possibly know all the turns, all the dead-ends, all the pot-holes, all the hills, valleys, bridges or even mis-steps ahead of time. I had to walk to the path to see the path.

Walking the path. One step at a time.

When I commit and take action, doing that one thing, questions I have somehow find answers. Someone will send me a blog article. Or some tidbit in a Youtube video will spark an idea.

When I commit and take action, people start appearing in my life that can help me execute on my next step. Each step leading to my final vision.

When I don’t take action, my brain stays closed. Any possibilities that may present themselves, I don’t see them. Because the problem is my focus. Not the solution.

That’s when I stop. Reset my brain. Do “one thing” towards my vision.

It doesn’t take courage. You don’t have to be fearless.

Just do that one thing. Every day.

When you do just one thing, you’ll be amazed at what will happen.

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