No Coincidence
Providence opens the door. A Seeker's Mindset walks through it.
I am a firm believer that there is no such thing as coincidence. That belief was reinforced on a flight in April 2024.
A month earlier, I'd told my wife — and no one else — "I want to write a book."
Like any statement of intent to do something new, especially with a long time horizon, it felt fantastical even as I said it. One of those good for you, I'll believe it when I see it declarations. Because the distance between saying it and doing it — in time, effort, and commitment — is enormous.
Every journey begins with a first step. But how to begin this one? I'd written blogs and articles, most under a thousand words. How would I weave tens of thousands together into something coherent and worth reading?
Enter serendipity.
Flying back to Anchorage after a conference, I struck up a conversation with the woman next to me and mentioned I'd recently sold my company. She asked, "What are you going to do now?"
I had the book in mind but wasn't ready to say it out loud, so I deflected. "Still figuring that out. What do you do?" I replied.
She smiled. "I'm a writing coach and editor."
So much for keeping my aspirations to myself.
Her name was Cherie Kephart, and that conversation began a working relationship that guided my first step, and along the way it educated me, pushed me, and tested me. Early on she told me, "By the time we're done, you'll have a degree in writing." Her subtle way of warning me about the learning curve ahead.
I remember telling her during one brutal stretch of the manuscript, "It's a good thing I'm writing about resilience."
Seeker's Mindset was forged alongside her insight, her generous spirit, and her expertise.
No such thing as coincidence. But coincidence without initiative is wasted opportunity.
Providence opens the door. A Seeker's Mindset walks through it.
