I think we've misunderstood serendipity.

We talk about it like it's luck. Like it just... happens.

It doesn't.

The most powerful systems in the world don't leave discovery to chance. Platforms like TikTok, Spotify, and Netflix are designed to create moments that feel unexpected, but aren't. They place you in proximity to ideas, content, and connections you didn't know you were looking for.

That's engineered serendipity.

And the more I think about it... the more I see the same pattern in life.

The people who seem "lucky" aren't waiting. They're:

• Putting themselves in new rooms
• Saying things out loud before they feel ready
• Moving before everything is fully clear

And that's usually when something shifts.

This year's TEDxSaltLakeCity theme is Serendipity, Hacked and it's forcing a different question:

What if the biggest moments in your life aren't something you wait for but something you create?

I'm applying. And whether I'm selected or not isn't a failure.

Because this — sharing it, saying it out loud, stepping into it publicly — is part of the process.

This is what it looks like to stop waiting and start creating the conditions for something to happen.

Curious, where in your life are you waiting... when you could be repositioning?