Serendipity

I first came across the term "serendipity" when I read the Three Princes of Serendip in either some ancient Strand Magazines that my Father had picked up second-hand, or in the 1001 Tales of the Arabian Nights. As the etymology goes, Serendip is the original Persian name for Sri Lanka (Simpson & Weiner, 1989, p. 5), and serendipity is:

A word coined by Horace Walpole, who says (Let. to Mann, 28 Jan. 1754) that he had formed it upon the title of the fairy-tale ‘The Three Princes of Serendip', the heroes of which ‘were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of’.] The faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident. Also, the fact or an instance of such a discovery. Formerly rare, this word and its derivatives have had wide currency in the 20th century. 1754 H. Walpole Let. to Mann 28 Jan., This discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity. 1880 E. Solly Index Titles of Honour Pref. 5 The inquirer was at fault, and it was not till some weeks later, when by the aid of Serendipity, as Horace Walpole called it—that is, looking for one thing and finding another—that the explanation was accidentally found (Simpson & Weiner, 1989, p. 5).

So 'happy coincidence', more or less. Elements of intersectionality, even. I have been reading a book by Dr Christian Busch, called "Connecting the Dots". It has been very interesting thus far. 

What has struck me in particular is that we can adopt a serendipity mindset. This is defined as "a practical philosophy for life and for business", which "has a form and a structure [and] is a process that we can influence". If we "stop regarding luck as something that happens to us, [we can] become an agent of our own and others’ smart luck", through "Being aware of and taming our innate biases and our propensity to live with preconceptions" (Busch, 2022, p. 54).

How do we do that? Well Busch (2022) suggests that we keep a serendipity journal, in four steps:

1. Consider our previous half year, and ask ourselves: "What were three important moments of serendipity [we] experienced within that period? What did they have in common? Is there something [we] can learn from them?" (Busch, 2022, p. 54)
2. "Write down the serendipitous encounters and related ideas that [we] were excited about but never followed up. Once[we] have completed the list" get a "trusted person to act as ‘filter’ to discuss with" us some ideas to further consider. Sleep on the idea, then "reach out to a key person in that field and discuss how to make the idea happen. Don’t be afraid to make the effort here – it will pay off" (Busch, 2022, p. 55)
3. Axe meetings wherever possible. Perhaps just don't go, and see if anyone notices (my strategy). Look for repeating activities that may not be "truly necessary". Ask ourselves if "they really need the amount of time they are allocated? If they are under your control, can you restructure them?" (Busch, 2022, p. 55)
4. "Start detailing your important decisions: the reasons for them and the related information that you had at the point you made them. Ask yourself, ‘Based on which assumption or belief did I make this decision?’ and ‘What would influence me to make this decision differently?’ and write down your answers. Review the entry whenever you have buyer’s remorse at the decision you made or when you (after the fact) think you knew something all along"  (Busch, 2022, p. 55)

An interesting approach. I think I might give this a try.

The book is full of these little activities. It seems to be well worth a read.

Sam

References:

Busch, C. (2022). Connect the Dots: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck. Penguin Life.

Simpson, J. A., & Weiner, E. S. C. (Eds.) (1989). Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed., Vol XV Ser-Soosy). Clarendon Press.