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One morning a few weeks ago I made a list of three things to accomplish that day. The first was to find a way to connect with a large corporation, the second was to connect with a major non-profit and the third was to resolve how to do a joint venture with a mentor I’d never met.

I thought about ways to make these things happen and not finding an easy solution, I put them aside. I went about my morning, taking baby steps toward my goal as if the three things had already happened.

Within two hours I received a telephone call from an old friend who’s now working for the corporation I was trying to reach. Fifteen minutes later I got an email from someone  who wanted to be a Luminary on our site, InspireMeToday.com, who was referred to us by the non-profit organization.

As I was laughing at the serendipity of it all, the phone rang and it was a man “returning my call”, but I hadn’t called him! You guessed it- he worked for the mentor I wanted to contact. Many would call these things an  “accident” or a “coincidence”, but I know better.

By noon, all three of my major things were completed for the day, and I didn’t have to go crazy figuring out how to make it happen. Was this just luck? I believe this was serendipity at her finest.

According to the dictionary, “serendipity” is the ability to make fortunate discoveries by accident, from the characters in the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, who made such discoveries. We experience it as magical things that line up perfectly in our lives.

Serendipity happens to all of us everyday. The key to the frequency and importance is simple- pay attention.

Recently, while writing on the topic of paying attention, I looked up to see a huge mountain lion outside my window. What made me look out at that moment? I’ve lived in the mountains of Boulder, CO for two years and this was my first lion. Surely he must have passed this way before. I saw him because I was paying attention.

How many times did he walk by my window before I noticed him? How many times has serendipity knocked on our door, but we’re too busy banging our head against a wall to notice?

Serendipity seems to work best when we surrender to the greater will of the Universe.
It shows up most when we’re living in the flow of life. Serendipity can line things up before we can figure out how to make them happen. She works best when we know the WHAT and the WHY, and focus on that, while we take baby steps toward our goal and allow the HOW to show up.

And like my lion in the mountains of Boulder,CO, serendipity is all around us, just waiting for us to look up and notice her. She’s waiting to make our lives easier and more fun, so let’s open the door and invite her to come in!

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Gail Lynne Goodwin is the founder of InspireMeToday.com, bringing the best inspiration to the world. InspireMeToday.com provides free inspiration, each day from a new Inspirational Luminary, to a global community of folks from over 150 countries. Gail has interviewed many well-known names including Sir Richard Branson, Guy Laliberte, Seth Godin, Tony Hseih, Gary Vaynerchuk, Michael Gerber, Marci Shimoff, Jack Canfield and hundreds more. According to Mashable, Gail was one of 2009's Top 25 Most Inspirational People on Twitter.

Prior to InspireMeToday.com, Gail spent several years as manager for her recording artist daughter, Carly. As a result of the success of their co-penned song, "Baby Come Back Home", Gail accompanied her daughter to bases in the US and to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where Carly performed for our troops. Gail and Carly created the 'World's Longest Letter' of love and support and delivered the 18-mile long scroll on a month-long tour of Iraq and the Persian Gulf in 2006.

Gail is excited to present her latest course, Love in 21 Days, a step-by-step guide to finding love online. Love in 21 Days is founded on a logical process that has been tested - and proven! - by not only Gail, but also by students around the world who too have found love.

Gail is a published author and a regular writer for the Huffington Post. She offers mentoring and mastermind services to clients worldwide from her home in Whitefish, Montana. Follow Gail on Twitter or Google+.

This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. It’s really neat how easy it is to find something once you stop looking for it. How many times have you ransacked your house, looking for your keys only to plop down in rejection and have your eyes rest directly on your keys?

    Here’s my theory on how to take advantage of serendipity: Keep your goal in mind. Put yourself in a situation to achieve your goal. Keep in mind that anything could be an opportunity to achieve your goal.

    Gail, you’re right on as usual.

  2. Hello Gail, I trust you are well. Serendipity, is a wonderful thing!.
    I would never dream of surfing the net on a Sunday moring, but today i did and seen that you wrote your blog this moring!. This is my first time on your site. NOW thats what i call SERENDIPITY.
    Iam looking forward to all the moments of Serendipity in my life.

    I love your site. Your work has inspired me!.
    I wish you a perfect life.

    Best Wishes,

    Georgina x

  3. It is so true – we have all had times when we are trying so hard to reach a goal and just getting nowhere, and stressing over getting nowhere! And then as soon as you stop stressing everything just starts to fall into place : )

    It’s funny, I spent all of last year trying so hard to achieve so many different things with no concrete goal in mind, and this year I let all of the ‘planning’ and worrying just fall away and already everything has begun to fall into place amazingly…such is serendipity!

    Cheers,
    Gina

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