How many times have you looked back on your life and wished you had followed through on a serendipitous moment? For many women, life is carefully planned. We are taught to be prepared, to anticipate, to build safety nets and not rely on luck. There is empowerment in that, of course there is. But in my way of thinking, there is also empowerment  (dare I say magic), in the unplanned.

I became a worldly woman because I had the courage to live outside the box and trust the moments I did not script. My journey has been colorful because I let serendipity lead me down the path. And oh my, what a life I have led because I was willing to say yes when something unexpected knocked.

Serendipity Is Not Random

People love to call it luck. I understand why. A chance encounter. A spontaneous idea. A door opening that you did not even know existed. But my lucky moments were not random. I felt stirrings first. A curious nudge. A small inner pull. A moment that made me lift my head and look again. Serendipity awakened my awareness and sharpened my attention. It prepared me to accept new ideas, new people, and new directions.

Many call this luck. I call it purposeful intention.Serendipity is a flirtation with possibility. It is what happens when you allow yourself to notice a beneficial chance, and then you choose to act. Luck is the relationship between chance and your willingness to participate in it. And darling, you are not a passive bystander in your own life. You are the creator.

The Maker of Your Luck

When you open your eyes and trust the process, when you understand that a small unexpected moment might be a thread weaving toward something bigger, you are creating a powerful narrative. When skills and curiosity are nurtured, they say yes to opportunity. They create the conditions where “random” luck can find you.

In other words, darling, ignite your serendipitous moments and you ignite your intention. And what people call intention, they often label as luck. I have lived this truth.

A move to Honolulu, Hawaii opened an exciting new adventure for my children and me. It was not an accident. It was a serendipitous invitation, and when it presented itself, I stepped through the door and took it to the finish line. I soared because I was willing to go.

Open the Door to Luck

Don’t worry about the opportunities you missed, the friendship that never formed, the career pivot sparked by a casual conversation you did not take, the trip you never booked because it wasn’t “practical.” Regret can become a trap, and darling, it is not a productive address to live in.

Instead, focus on the present and let opportunity knock. Go to the dinner you dread. Send the email you want to put off. Sign up for the class you have been postponing. Book the trip. Wear red lipstick. Introduce yourself. Follow your curiosity. These actions may not look like destiny in the moment. They may feel trivial. But they are not.

They are signals that you are expanding your horizons. And when you expand your horizons, you expand your odds of something wonderful finding you. That is not luck. That is participation.

Luck Favors Movement

What is luck? Contrary to popular belief, it is rarely random. Luck favors movement on your part. Before luck arrives in its full form, there are smaller stirrings like a conversation, detour, chance encounter or a spontaneous idea. These moments are not the climax. They are the first line in your playbook.

They awaken awareness. They heighten attention. They prepare you to receive what you once believed was out of your reach. If you call this luck, you are shortchanging your empowerment.

I hear people say, “I hope I get lucky,” or “I hope my luck holds.” I beg to differ. Luck is not something you wait for. Luck is something you practice and one of the greatest forms of self care, darling, is refusing to shrink your life out of fear. Self care is not always quiet candles and face cream. Sometimes it is putting on your shoes and stepping into a room you almost avoided.

The Psychology of Serendipity

Psychology comes into play here. When you move differently, walk into a room with sharper eyes, treat strangers as potential acquaintances, or interpret detours as redirection instead of dead ends, you multiply openings. Every woman has this ability. Unfortunately, some women let it stay dormant inside them.

I have found through my experiences that serendipity has been one of the most important elixirs of life. It has led to beautiful and unexpected moments because it opened doors that planning alone could not. Serendipity reminds me that not everything valuable must be strategized. Sometimes the best opportunities arrive unannounced.

My Serendipitous Moment

As I sit at my beloved Apple penning my Sunday Story, I am reminded of a serendipitous moment that changed my life. A stranger approached me at a woman’s gathering in Rancho Mirage, California, and asked if I was a snowbird. When I said yes, she asked how I spent my time. I told her the truth: lunches with girlfriends, golf, cards, and mahjong.

And then I said a sentence that surprised even me: “I am bored with my busyness.” She looked at me and replied, “I can tell you what to do.” I said, “Tell me.” She told me to keep a journal for three months, never miss a day of writing, and I would find my voice. I questioned her, as any sensible woman would: “How do you know?” Her answer was simple: “I am a writer.”

Darling, I remember driving home singing to myself, “I will find my voice. I will find my voice.” I ran into the house calling, “Shelly, Shelly, I am going to try my hand at writing. What do you think?” He answered, “If you want to try your hand at writing, go for it.” I kept that journal for three months. And I have never looked back. Was it luck that I met that writer? Perhaps. But I believe serendipity rewarded me because I was open, curious and willing.

St. Patrick’s Day Luck

St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration of Irish heritage, but it has also become a symbol of luck. Four leaf clovers, leprechauns and pots of gold. It is all about fortune smiling unexpectedly. But what we call luck is often something far more interesting.

Serendipity.

Luck is framed as random chance, being in the right place at the right time. Serendipity is when chance meets awareness. It is noticing the unexpected opportunity and choosing to act on it. A parade won’t change your life because you wore green. But going to the parade might, because you placed yourself in a new environment where unexpected connections can happen. Not because the universe sprinkled you with magic, but rather because you increased the odds.

How to Practice Serendipity

If you have not been recognizing your serendipitous moments, let me offer a few gentle tips:

• Talk to new people. Tiny conversations create surprising doorways.

• Act on curiosity quickly. Small experiments create new paths.

• Reframe setbacks. Sometimes a “no” is redirection, not rejection.

• Move your body. A walk changes your mind. That is self care and strategy in one.

• Say yes more often than you say no. Not to everything, darling. But to what expands you.

Be the woman who is prepared, open to newness, and unafraid to participate in her own unfolding. What begins as chance can become transformation.

The Luck of the Irish Is Not Mystical

Honestly, in my opinion, the luck of the Irish isn’t mystical. I think it is a mindset. Stay open, move toward opportunity and treat the unexpected as an invitation.

Serendipitous moments awaken daydreams, and daydreams, when nurtured, can turn into reality. Life becomes a glorious adventure when you stop waiting for luck and start creating the conditions for it to find you. I know because I have that ability. I am Madame Serendipity to my core.

And if I were a fairy godmother, I would not hand you a pot of gold. I would give you something far more valuable: the ability to see the small doors as they appear, to trust your inner nudge, and to step through without overthinking. Because the woman who notices is the woman who receives. Amen.