Mindy, Mindy, Mindy (and Serendipity)

My BFF Mindy always jokes that I’ve put everyone on blast in my blog, except her. Well, today is your day, Min.

I was bitching to Mindy on the phone about how I am never the beneficiary of serendipity. Why can’t I stumble and land into a quarter-million dollar position like one of our friends? Why don’t amazing things happen to me?? Her head-scratching response: “You don’t make them happen.”

Woman, please, that defeats the purpose of “serendipity,” doesn’t it?

Mindy broke it down for me like this: There is no such thing as “luck.” What we call luck is really one’s approach to life. For instance, there could be three people in a diner. Unbeknownst to the others, one is a tycoon, capable of making great employment wishes come true. One person is a “Mirna” – she sits there drinking her coffee and eating her muffin without so much as looking up for fear that she’ll actually make eye contact with someone and have to speak to them. The other person is a “Miles” (our friend who landed the job) – he sits there smiling, looking around, just waiting for a chance to chat someone up.

In that situation, take a wild guess who would likely land the dream job? Yes, Miles. Simply because he was open. And even if he didn’t land a job that day, no doubt Miles would’ve asked for the tycoon’s number and continued to befriend him, thereby increasing his network and almost guaranteeing himself a better job. And as soon as he did, the “Mirna” would be on the phone whining about what a lucky bastard he was.

I’d never thought of it like that before. But Mindy is absolutely right. Sure, there are things that God seems to thrust in your path, but if you don’t pick them up and make them yours (your actions), they won’t happen. Think back to the things that you considered to have been serendipitous and focus in on the things that you did to make them so. Kinda makes you feel powerful, doesn’t it?