Consider this – In early January, I had a hunch that a family member was in need of financial assistance, so I used snail mail to send her a pick-me-up note with a check enclosed. It was a Saturday morning, so when I got a call from her on Sunday, the following day acknowledging it, I was a bit baffled, to say the least. Several Summers ago while in Milan, I was waiting for a friend to finish his purchase at the Armani boutique when I decided to get an espresso at a cafe down the block. As I reached for my wallet, I felt a hand on my shoulder only to have it be someone who I see each morning at our fitness club in San Diego. And, just yesterday as I was I listening to entrepreneur describe his new chocolate workout recovery drink, I couldn’t help but think of a close friend who happens to be in the food business, and before I can mention his name to my guest, my phone vibrates with his call.
Call it what you will, but these things happen each and every day, and while some of us tend to attribute it to serendipity or fate; renowned statistician David Hand will tell you that its anything but. Flip through his book – The Improbability Principle: Why Coincidences, Miracles, and Rare Events Happen Every Day – and you’re likely to walk away convinced that “extremely improbable events are commonplace” here’s why —-