Definition (The Compact edition of the Oxford English Dictionary 1971)
– The faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident.
The word serendipity was first coined by Horace Walpole, a member of the British House of Commons. He delighted in his gift of finding things unexpectedly. The name comes from the title of the fairy tale “The Travels and Adventures of Three Princes of Sarendip (ancient name for present-day Sri Lanka). The heroes of this tale “are always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.”
Although, chance is innate to serendipity, we can still create the circumstances that foster its occurrence:
- Build in windows of time
- Cultivate curiosity and open-mindedness
- Meet new people
- Create opportunities for adventure
