What if there was no Apple tree??
The most complex solutions emanate from the simplest things.
There are hundreds of things happening around us all day and many of the things we see and do may be nothing to us, but Eureka moments for many.
Ever wondered about the omnipresent Apple? (Not the Tech juggernaut, but the actual real fruit!)
I’m pretty sure people saw apples dropping off Apple trees for thousands of years before Netwon did, yet Isaac Newton was the first to figure out gravity based on the Apple falling.
But, what if the apple hadn’t fallen on that fateful day when Netwon sat under the tree or worse, what if Isaac Newton wasn't bothered that the apples fell !!
Would we still know as much about gravity as we do today? Would the consequential scientific advancements have been made?
I find the whole apple story, symbolic of how serendipity at times plays a big role in success.
BUT
Serendipity also really means luck favouring the prepared. Netwon was.
In the words of Henry David Thoreau, It’s not what you look but what you see!!
Revolutionary concepts often seem insignificant in the beginning. The world is full of examples where successful companies evolved from serendipitous encounters and circumstances.
Eg. Google founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin wanted to sell Google to Yahoo for $ 1 million to pursue their PhD. Yahoo declined .Lucky thing. We all know where Google stands today.
YouTube is rumoured to have begun its journey as an online video dating service “Tune In Hook Up”. The founders couldn’t search for some videos nor send large videos as email attachments. This changed the direction of Youtube. Today, its fame and current status is in a much different USP.
Sharing a personal example from my life- I started my first company as a News aggregation app and grew it to a million downloads with hardly any monetization. A chance meeting and discussion with a retail brand head changed the course of our company into a successful digital marketing agency. That’s the power of serendipity.
Now pause and think -what is the common thread to all of this?
Yes, serendipity favoured the prepared,
Anddddd…
The serendipitous encounter was observed, turned into an idea, nurtured and pursued till it became huge !
Newton didn’t just say, “hey the apple fell, it must be Gravity” and then dozed off again. No. He sprinted, he toiled hard and left a legacy for the scientists.
Okay I agree that as human beings, we are sceptical about serendipitous explanations. We always look for symmetry and convenient patterns. Ask any expert the key to success and he would come with logical explanations, recommendations and approaches. But real-life examples show that often serendipitous encounters, unexpected changes in the plans also bring success.
We would like to think that success comes from following trends, patterns and by analysing data to formulate strategy. To a large extent it does. But serendipity’s existence is undeniable.
Let me get this straight, there is no luck (unless winning a lottery but even for that you need to buy a lottery ticket).
It’s always serendipity. And it favours those who have their eyes open and can identify the opportunity, hold their idea close and nurture it to become its own identity.
In case you have more thoughts to share on this topic, I’d be happy to hear from you at Vikas@plash.in or in the comments below !
