Have you ever noticed that some people seem to be sanding at opportunity’s door each time it opens? What differs in the mind of a person who seems so lucky in life … and the rest of us who seem to take more of a roller coaster route at times? Does it have to do with the brain’s wiring and if so … what are the odds of coincidence happening to bring you better luck?
Coincidence intrigues scientists, psychotherapists, mathematicians, and the rest of us … mainly because it tells tell us more about ourselves.
Dr Josh Tenenbaum … from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, studied how coincidences work in the brain … often as the source of some of people’s greatest irrationalities. Do you see innovative opportunities here? Tenenbaum shows how the brain searches for patterns in the world based on limited evidences and information.
According to Josh’s work … we superimpose patterns at times which do not really exist … and this can be described as coincidences. On other occasions … these mental patterns or coincidental events which we see are real and can lead us into brilliant breakthroughs in art, science, math or literature.
According to Josh Tenebaum’s work … we really do better to stay alert to new possibilities. At the same time, we do better to test these coincidences because if they are real … and are patterns that lead to a creative breakthrough … they will repeat the same outcomes under similar patterns.
Would you agree that an alert …observant person is more likely to benefit from coincidences …? Do people with limited expectations or openness rarely gets to swim into the mysteries available to those who take a risk to encounter coincidences? What do you think?
This is an interesting topic, particularly in the area of jobs. I have often wondered how some people seem to get lucky and others do not.
Quick story. We have family friends, the Norbys, who have three boys, all in their 30's now. Their youngest son,Mark, was the typical surburban kid, played high school football, was a popular kid around 'the lake.'
So, Mark surprises us all by going way off to the University of Texas. His likeable demeaner get him to be president of the Longhorn Guys, the young men who run the steer around the stadium at football games, apparently a big deal.
Anyway, he graduates and like a young kids, doesn't know really what he wants to do. So, he gets a job in Brazil working for a freight forwarder, likes it but decides after a year or two, to quit. But, then he decides to walk home! From Brazil! Takes him a year...arrives home, is thinking about seminary, waiting tables meandering around really, when his college roommate calls him,
"mark," he says," since you are between jobs why don't you come out here to Hollywood and work with me? They think I am going to make it in the movies, and I need a stunt double."
Now, Mark Norby is Matthew McConaughy's stunt double, is doing coordinating type work, etc...and having a great time, job and life.
It seems like every time we tell Mark's story, it ALWAYS happens someone will then say..."that's nothing, my next door neighbor's niece is Madonna's hair dresser."
So...is this all luck, opportunity, or what?
How can we wire ourselves to be able to react to these chances that come up that truly are life changing events?
Posted by: gl hoffman | September 7, 2006 8:48 AM | Permalink to Comment