"Luck is not chance, it’s toil; fortune’s expensive smile is earned." — Emily Dickinson

In a world increasingly defined by chaos and uncertainty, the desire to control our destinies has never been stronger. You’ve likely noticed it: a resurgence of old ideas, repackaged and rebranded for the modern era, flooding our social media feeds. Skipping breakfast is now “intermittent fasting,” eating vegetables is “eating clean,” and if you’ve been wishing away the challenges of the pandemic only to stumble upon unexpected success, you might just be “manifesting.”

Manifestation has become the latest wellness buzzword, particularly on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Influencers tout the power of positive thinking, suggesting that by focusing our intentions and desires, we can will our dreams into reality. It’s a seductive idea—one that promises to unlock the universe’s secrets with nothing more than the strength of our minds. But as appealing as this notion may be, it’s worth pausing to ask: What are we really buying into? And more importantly, what are we missing?

In The Serendipity Mindset, Christian Busch invites us to explore an alternative—a path that embraces the unpredictability of life, encouraging us to find opportunity not just in what we seek, but in what we never anticipated. As we delve into this serendipity mindset, we’ll see how it offers a richer, more grounded approach to navigating life’s twists and turns, especially when contrasted with the allure and potential pitfalls of the manifestation craze.

The Serendipity Mindset: More Than Just Luck

At the heart of Busch’s philosophy is a powerful idea: serendipity isn’t just about stumbling upon good fortune—it’s about cultivating a mindset that allows us to recognize and create opportunities even in the most unexpected circumstances. It’s about being an active participant in our own lives, rather than passively waiting for the universe to deliver what we desire.

Busch identifies three distinct types of serendipity, each offering a different way of engaging with the world:

  1. Archimedes Serendipity: This is the aha moment that strikes while you’re focused on solving a problem, much like Archimedes discovered the principle of buoyancy while in the bath. It’s about being open to insights that emerge from unexpected places.
  2. Post-It Note Serendipity: Named after the accidental invention of Post-It notes, this type of serendipity involves finding a use for something that didn’t seem particularly useful at first. It’s about recognizing potential in the overlooked or the unintended.
  3. Thunderbolt Serendipity: These are the lightning-strike moments when an idea or opportunity appears seemingly out of nowhere, offering a path forward that you hadn’t previously considered.

What all these forms of serendipity have in common is that they require us to be present, curious, and engaged. They call for a willingness to see beyond the obvious and to connect dots that others might miss. In this way, serendipity isn’t just about chance—it’s about preparation meeting opportunity, about cultivating the awareness and mindset needed to turn the unexpected into something meaningful.

The Manifestation Craze: A Double-Edged Sword

So, how does this serendipity mindset compare to the current obsession with manifestation? At its core, manifestation is the belief that by focusing your thoughts and intentions, you can bring about the changes you desire in your life. It’s a concept that has deep roots, tracing back to the 19th-century New Thought movement, which held that our thoughts have the power to shape our reality.

On the surface, manifestation appears to offer a straightforward path to success: visualize what you want, believe in it, and it will come to you. This idea has gained immense popularity on social media, where influencers present it as a foolproof method for achieving everything from wealth and health to happiness and love. But while the concept of manifestation can be empowering, it also carries significant risks—risks that are often overlooked in the glossy, carefully curated posts that fill our feeds.

One of the biggest dangers of the manifestation craze is that it can lead to a form of magical thinking. It suggests that if we just think hard enough, everything will fall into place, minimizing the role of effort, resilience, and adaptability in achieving our goals. When reality inevitably doesn’t align with our dreams, this mindset can result in guilt, shame, or a sense of failure, as though we simply didn’t “manifest” hard enough. It’s a mindset that can be particularly harmful in today’s world, where the challenges we face—be it a global pandemic, economic instability, or social injustice—are complex and multifaceted.

The Dark Side of Positive Thinking: A Historical Perspective

To fully understand the implications of the manifestation trend, it’s essential to look at its historical roots. The New Thought movement of the 19th century, which gave rise to the concept of manifestation, was deeply intertwined with ideas of personal empowerment and the power of positive thinking. Pioneers like Phineas Parkhurst Quimby and Mary Baker Eddy believed that the mind could influence reality, an idea that quickly spread through self-help literature and even economic theory.

During the Gilded Age, a time marked by profound inequality, these ideas became particularly appealing. They offered a way to rationalize success and failure, suggesting that wealth and health were the results of positive thinking, while poverty and illness were seen as failures of the mind. This narrative provided a convenient justification for the vast disparities of the time, but it also placed an unfair burden on individuals, suggesting that their struggles were the result of a lack of willpower or mental discipline.

Fast forward to today, and we see echoes of these ideas in the manifestation craze. In a world where economic inequality is once again at staggering levels, the idea that we can think our way to success offers a sense of control. But it’s important to recognize that while positive thinking can be a powerful tool, it is not a cure-all. The complexities of life demand more than just belief—they demand action, resilience, and the ability to adapt to the unexpected.

Social Media’s Role in Shaping Our Mindsets

Social media has played a pivotal role in the resurgence of manifestation, amplifying its appeal through carefully curated narratives of success. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram prioritize content that is sensational and aspirational, creating a distorted view of reality that can leave us feeling inadequate when our own lives don’t measure up.

These platforms often present manifestation as a magic bullet, a way to bypass the hard work and uncertainty that comes with pursuing our goals. But this portrayal is misleading. It ignores the fact that true success—whether personal or professional—is rarely the result of a single factor. It’s the product of a complex interplay of intention, effort, and opportunity, all of which are shaped by forces beyond our control.

The serendipity mindset, by contrast, offers a more grounded and realistic approach. It acknowledges that while we can—and should—set intentions, we must also remain open to the unexpected, recognizing that opportunities often arise in ways we couldn’t have predicted. It’s a mindset that encourages us to be active participants in our own lives, to seek out opportunities, and to be ready to pivot when life takes us in a new direction.

Finding Balance: Integrating Serendipity with Manifestation

So, how do we reconcile the appeal of manifestation with the grounded, practical approach of the serendipity mindset? The answer lies in balance.

Manifestation has value in that it encourages us to set clear intentions and focus on what we want to achieve. It reminds us of the importance of belief and visualization in shaping our lives. But it shouldn’t stop there. We also need to remain open to the unexpected, to the idea that opportunities might come from places we didn’t anticipate.

The serendipity mindset offers a complementary perspective. It reminds us that while we should have goals, we also need to be flexible and adaptable, ready to embrace the surprises that life inevitably brings. By integrating both mindsets into our lives, we can create a more holistic approach—one that combines the power of intention with the wisdom of flexibility and the courage to seize opportunities as they arise.

Final Thoughts: Embracing Both Worlds

As we navigate the complexities of modern life, it’s important to remember that no single approach has all the answers. Manifestation can be a powerful tool for setting intentions and staying focused on our goals, but it’s not a magic wand. The serendipity mindset, on the other hand, offers a more balanced and realistic approach—one that combines intentionality with openness to the unexpected.

In the end, life is not about rigidly controlling every outcome, but about finding joy and meaning in the journey, wherever it may lead. By embracing both manifestation and serendipity, we can create lives that are not only fulfilling but also rich with possibility and wonder.

So, the next time you find yourself daydreaming about your future, remember to keep your eyes—and your heart—open to the opportunities that might be hiding in plain sight. Because sometimes, the best things in life are the ones we never saw coming.