A Mind for Serendipity
What connects these three behaviors is one basic truth: we cannot create new opportunities in the world if we do not first create room for them in our minds. Unfortunately, the social systems we're a part of—our businesses, schools, governments—are designed to fill our minds to overflow. From the way we segment academic subjects in school to the tasks we do in our jobs, we invest heavily in order, organization, and compartmentalization. As a result, there isn't a lot of room left to combine and recombine disparate ideas and experiences, even though that very act is what serendipity is built on. It takes this special skill, preparation, to keep our cognitive space open. It is an essential ingredient for planned serendipity. ...
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