Video Creator’s Channel Chris Williamson

I Used To Be Very Much Like

this like hey. I need a plan. I want to know exactly what I’ll map out in Xyz and then I had this amazing mentor and he used to tell me Christian people like you always think there’s one way to roam and then you realize you don’t even want to be in Rome. How do you get started on thinking about the science of look as far as I was aware look with some random chance blessed to some and not to others and the end of a rainbow and a pot of gold and stuff like that why does the signs have look come into it? Yeah that’s a great question because you know we always assume that luck is something that just happens to us right so you know being born into a nice family stuff like that that we. Can’t really influence um what I found fascinating both in my work as entrepreneur social entrepreneur but also in my research is that somehow the most successful inspiring people.

They Seem To Have In Common That They

somehow intuitively cultivate a little bit more luck than others, and so I got fascinated by that question is there some kind of smart luck. Here is there’s some kind of process We can influence so take the example right imagine you have erratic hand movements like I do and you then you spill a lot of coffee and so imagine you spill coffee in a coffee shop over someone and they look at you slightly annoyedly but you sense there might be something there you don’t know what it is you just sense there might be something there and now you have two options right option number one is you just say. I’m so sorry here’s a napkin You walk outside and you think Ah what could have happened had I spoken with a person option number two. You speak with a person that person turns out to become the love your life or your co-founder or you name it. The point is our reaction to the unexpected us making the accident meaningful in a way creates that kind of smart luck that kind of serendipity and so in a way a lot of our research focuses on the question is there a pattern behind all these different stories of Serendipity is that always the same process of some kind of unexpected trigger happening, but then us connecting the dots and doing something with it and so that’s the fastest thing we can create more of those triggers, but also we can learn how to connect those dots better so is the.

Between Look And Serendipity, Whether Its Random

or whether it’s purposeful or intentional well. It’s interesting because in a way both kind of the blind luck and the smart luck, which certainly is somehow have some kind of randomness in it right bumping into that person at a conference or you know. I’ll tell you the example of the of the potato washing machine to to to to give you that that point. But the the idea is that that there’s always some kind of element of randomness, but then we have some kind of agency in it. We have some kind of control over not the situation itself but our response to it and so take the potato washing machine right essentially a couple of years ago.

A Company In China, They Produce Refrigerators

washing machines and so on and they receive calls from farmers and the farmers. told them your crappy washing machine is always breaking down well. Why is the washing machine breaking down well. We’re trying to wash our potatoes and it doesn’t seem to work so what we usually do we’ll probably tell them well. Don’t wash your potatoes in the washing machine, like it’s made for clothes.

• entrepreneur
• luck
• mindsets
• randomness
• inspiring

You Know Why Would You Do

that they did the opposite. They said you know what that’s unexpected that’s random but there’s for a lot of farmers in China who have a similar problem, so why Don’t we build in a dirt filter and make it a potato washing machine that’s how serendipitously so the potato washing machine emerged that’s how up to 50 of innovations and inventions emerge that’s how a lot of times we fall in love. It’s not only bumping into that person. We have to go on a date. We have to.

Do Something With It To Actually Turn It

into that kind of positive outcome that doesn’t just happen to us. It seems to me that there’s two things that we’re playing with here, one of them being how frequently. We can put ourselves into situations where the randomness can come to us and then also our response to those situations which is kind of how we profit or benefit or make good of whatever happens is that right absolutely it’s exactly it’s kind of like in a way making the accident meaningful and you know that’s exciting having more accidents having more accidents right like we can literally create more positive accidents. Yeah that’s interesting well. I mean is serendipity still serendipity.

If You Take An Active Role

in it well. You know that’s the fascinating thing right when people connect the dots at hindsight when they look at their. CV or so they would say Oh This was just lucky there and this lucky here, but then they think about it. They’re like Oh, but actually you know what I worked really hard to have that luck. I worked really hard to then follow up with that conference guy.

I Bumped Into And Then Do

this and do this and so the point here is that actually when you look at serendipity um and and the role of people in it. It’s more than we we think but we airbrush it out of our stories right. I work a lot with with um executives and when you’re the CeO of a company. You come into the boardroom and you want to be able to say. I planned this.

I Did This And Then This Happened

right yeah everyone knows that you know what like it’s probably more like a squiggle like like our CV right it’s not just I planned this. I did this. I did this no like you bumped into someone and you did this this this but and that’s what I’m so fascinated about this topic. It’s instead of thinking. Oh this is weak Oh my god like I wasn’t in control.

This Is Actually The Ultimate Form Of Trying

to figure out how to gain some kind of control over your environment and let go of an illusion of control to say. Hey I created a mindset and a culture that allows actually for those unexpected things to happen instead of actually overlooking them. Right you would never see the potato washing machine. If you would say no this doesn’t fit. my marketing plan It shouldn’t be here Yeah It doesn’t happen and you will be in control of your old plan, but maybe you’ll be out of business in a few years when there’s so many farmers who actually wanted that machine and your competitor did it right and so it’s really these kind of things where it’s our control over over those kind of things well.

You Cant Stop The Randomness Thats Going To

continue to happen. So I think you’re right getting ready to control that it feels like the sort of old-school business world where everybody would have to wear a suit and a tie and everybody have to work from the office and everyone would have to be very prim and proper. I think that that illusion of control is kind of masking over the fact that it’s idiots all the way up. I’ve Got a bunch of friends that I’ve met and I’ve spent a bit of time with people that are around literally the highest echelons of tech and of business and a finance, and they’ve said to me dude. No one has an idea what they’re doing.

Everyone Is Clueless The Entire Way Up

all the way up and everyone’s winging it so getting ourselves to this stage now where you go okay look the veil has been lifted. There is no magic that’s sort of going on here what we’re trying to do is create a culture or an environment in which this randomness can be profited on didn’t you have a story about was it viagra as well absolutely and you know to exactly your point right that’s the fascinating thing that once you let go of this idea that you can control everything then actually you start building. That muscle for the unexpected and that decreases anxiety. You know. I come from Germany.

We Love To Control Things To Plan

things to to to have a plan right and then real life happens You’re like Oh my God like now, I’m overwhelmed versus if you’re saying you know what you know I I’ll have a plan now, but I’m already building in the the expectation that there will be something unexpected and that’s not the threat that could actually be something even more beautiful, right and and we can talk about other other examples There. For example, viagra right viagra is exactly this where researchers were giving people medication against angina pectoris. The the the the illness and and they realized unexpectedly. There was some kind of movement in male participants, Trousers and you know what we usually do we’ll probably either try to ignore it or kind. of find a better way to kind of you know get rid of that side effect of of having that kind of movement they did the opposite They said you know what that’s unexpected, But there’s probably a lot of men in the world who might have a problem with that department, So why don’t we develop a medication around this and that’s really the thing here right to exactly your point that if we’re trying to stick with our original plan Just focus on this we don’t see all these beautiful other things that might come of it and that’s the same you know in any any part in life and and that’s what what the excitement is.

I Think That That Theres So

many meaningful potentialities out there but but we have to open our eyes to it how malleable or ingrained do you think our people’s mindsets. Around luck, you know it’s interesting because I always thought you know people like what I presume you from from what I’ve seen myself and others who intuitively cultivate a lot of serendipity there. You know I first thought hey this content is for for those people who then have vocabulary a language for what they intuitively do it legitimizes what they do and then kind of they can go to their boss and say no. I wasn’t out of control here.

• successful inspiring people common intuitively
• inspiring people common intuitively cultivate
• luck got fascinated question kind
• smart luck kind serendipity way
• smart luck kind process influence

I Actually Created Um Something That Allowed

me to to get here um and that works but but then what’s actually much more fascinating to me is the second group of people like a colleague of Mine in London. You know this kind of eminent professor type person wonderful person, but he came to me at the beginning when I started this work, and he said Christian I. love you? I love your work, but I don’t need serendipity like I have I have a nice family. I have a nice job.

I Have Everything I Need Like Why

would I need this so We made a deal. We said you know what why do you not use a couple of of strategies and we can talk about. For example, the hook strategy which I which I asked.

Summary

The most successful inspiring people. seem to have in common that they somehow intuitively cultivate a little bit more luck than others, and so I got fascinated by that question is there some kind of smart luck. We always assume that luck is something that just happens to us right so you know being born into a nice family stuff like that that that we. can’t really influence.& The point is our reaction to the unexpected us making the accident meaningful in a way creates that kind of serendipity. We make the accidents meaningful and so in a . way create that kind . luck that kind the accident . of being accident-prone. or you name it. You speak with a person that person turns out to become the love your life or your co-founder or your . co-founder or you like to be a co-creator or to have a relationship with a friend. or to create a relationship that can be a relationship. The point. is that we can influence….. Click here to read more and watch the full video