The Predictability of Unpredictability

Think about how many factors are present in a game of baseball. The speed of the pitch. The rotation of the ball. The velocity of the wind. The force of the swing. The moods of the players. Hope. Fear. Confidence. Nervousness. Concentration. Distraction. With so many factors in play, the outcome of a baseball game must be completely unpredictable, right? And yet, we know that the game will be ten innings long. We know that one of the teams will eventually win and the other will lose. We know that the winning team will go on to play another team. We know that the last remaining teams will compete in the World Series. And we know that one of those teams will go home with a trophy. So you see, despite the multitude of factors determining the outcome of a single game, when you look at the big picture, the things you thought were unpredictable couldn’t be further from it.

You may believe that life is random and chaotic, and that may very well be true for you. As we’ve discussed before, your life is the result of your thoughts. If the events of your life seems scattered, it’s because your thoughts are scattered. Most people have not made a habit of managing their thoughts. They allow their thoughts to wander, and as a result, they themselves continue to wander aimlessly through life. In order to make a significant change to your circumstances, you must focus on a single objective with all of your intention and move towards it every day. When you allow your thoughts to wander, you take one step forward, one step back, one step to the left, one step to the right, you end up right back where you started and nothing ever changes. You need to focus your thoughts in one direction, and when you do that, the events of your life will begin to form a cohesive pathway. The universe will line up for you. You will see patterns and coincidences you never saw before. You will begin to recognize the underlying order behind it all.

So what about chance? Of course, chance is still a factor. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the strange and unexplained trends that defy the odds. Some people call them coincidences, and that’s a valid argument. After all, coincidences are built into the rules of probability. Naturally, if the odds of an event occurring are one in a million, the “one” must seem pretty miraculous when it finally happens. But after a second coincidence, and a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, tenth, fifteenth in the same week, you may start to wonder if there is something bigger going on behind the scenes. It’s not just “luck.” It’s a cause-and-effect relationship. You organize your thoughts and your life becomes organized. Once you reach a certain level of clarity, you may experience what I like to call a “thunderstorm of coincidences.” You’ll think of an old friend and the next day they’ll give you a phone call. You’ll have dreams about things before they happen. You’ll consider buying a DVD at the store, then go home and find that the same movie playing on TV. Each tiny coincidence is like the rumbling of thunder in the clouds. You’ll feel the presence of an invisible force in the air. And soon, the lightning bolt of creation will strike.