FEMI TAIWO ON MONDAY: Introduction to Enhancing Serendipity Series

Michael Oluwafemi Taiwo, Ph.D

I argued over the course of three articles that those who succeed at anything and don’t mention luck as a contributing factor are only kidding themselves. My main aim in espousing that thought is to introduce some reasonableness in assessing results. People or ideas that worked were not necessarily better than those that didn’t; external factors that cannot be controlled – luck – play into the dynamics of outcomes. My hope is that we will neither deify winners nor vilify losers but place their performance within the dual context of what hand was dealt to them and how they played it.

An unintended albeit positive consequence of the Luck Series as I called it was that it raised an interesting question. Online and offline, people have asked a variant of a question that goes thus: “If luck is an essential part of the success equation, how can I have more luck?” On the surface, the question seems an impossible one. Luck is serendipity. How can you enhance serendipity? Is serendipity serendipitous or ubiquitous? I defined luck as a quality you have no control over. If you have no control over it, how then can you increase it? Luck is chance, a random event. How can you multiply chance or randomness? Are people destined to succeed or fated to fail? Are we all just pawns in a cosmic chess game?

The way you see luck will determine whether you think it can be increased or not. If you think of luck as a commodity like a table or chair that can be produced by summing its constituent parts then luck cannot be increased. This is because luck is not causal in nature. If you want more tables and chairs, all you need is more wood, screws and paint. Luck is not like that. You cannot deconstruct or decompose it. This is why it doesn’t lend itself to control.

But if you see luck as a chance event or as a psychological response to chance then we can begin to investigate ways by which the odds can be tipped in your favor. We cannot “make” our own luck in the sense of a carpenter making a table or a chair but we can create a world within and without us that is favorable to fortuitous happenings. In this sense, yes, luck can be increased; serendipity can be enhanced.

So yes, you can increase your luck factor. Although you cannot control luck in theory; in practice, there are still steps you can take to increase luck in your life. You will enjoy this series if there is a need in your personal or professional life. You may be looking for a spouse or seeking better health. You may have a financial need or in search of a (new) job. Whatever it is, if you feel you can use some good break, this series is for you. I call it “Enhancing Serendipity: Increasing Your Luck in Life” because if you take my word for it and use the tips I will be giving along the way, I have no doubt in my mind that you will achieve what you desire.

Over the next two weeks try and meet four new people. They may be people you see every day but are not familiar with or they may be people you haven’t met before. I want you to actually get to know these people as much as possible; your goal is to be able to reasonably call them a friend in two weeks. I would prefer you meet people face to face and initiate conversations with them. Friendships initiated online won’t task your social skills much. It turns out that stretching yourself to go out there and meet people is the first lesson in Luck School. I hope you will ace this homework!