It’s a bit of a hike past the cherry blossoms, the Washington Monument, and the reflection pool to get up the steps of this national treasure. It was worth it. There was a gorgeous sunrise peeking up over the Washington Monument and I snapped it a picture and text it to my wife and daughters. Noah and I felt honored to have been here on this unique day. But there was more. At the airport later in the week, I read one of the articles written 150 years ago about the assassination and Lincoln’s death. At the conclusion of the article, the writer noted the time of death at 7:22 am (he was shot the evening of April 14th, and succumbed the next morning). I quickly checked the time of my text to and realized we had been there EXACTLY at the Lincoln Memorial on the time he passed 150 years prior! Serendipity.

While this seems like a small bit of luck that has nothing to do with anything but irony and fortune, I tend to view it differently. That bit of serendipity required many decisions that made it possible – from the decision to go sight seeing, to altering the plans to walk farther than planned, to turning around to take in a sunrise and send it on to my family. Like that old saying goes, you make your own luck.

The decisions you make today will create opportunities for similar serendipity in your life. Don’t just chalk it up to being in the right place in the right time. Your mindset must be that you control your own fate and making bold decisions will ultimately lead you to rewards that others will surmise as lucky. However, you will know better, won’t you?

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