I’ve been truly inspired by some of the posts I’ve been reading on LinkedIn recently. People like Mareo McCracken, Graham Hawkins, Colin Shaw, Tony J. Hughes and Tony Robbins have all appeared in my LinkedIn feed at exactly the right time.

Coincidence? I think not.

I don’t believe in coincidences. I’m one of those who believes everything happens for a reason and the reason I’m reading the thought provoking and extremely pertinent words of these people is because I want to learn.

Why?

Because I’m focusing on similar ideas about customer experience, emotional engagement with audiences through brand story telling, mindset training, social marketing and sales. The more I focus the more relevant my LinkedIn feed seems to be.

I’m feeling a connection between what I’m thinking and the thoughts and the words of like-minded souls. I’m not so self-centred and arrogant to think they’re writing specially for me, but I kid you not, it feels like it sometimes! I’ve checked my office for bugs and hidden cameras just in case they’ve been listening in, y’know.

That sense of being connected is difficult to describe. Is it spiritual? I ask. If it’s not coincidence is it synchronicity? What does that even mean when it’s at home?

Here’s how I see it … we’re surrounded by things, events, people, situations and signs all the time. Some of these seem to be ‘coincidental’ in that they have a direct impact or meaning to something quite unrelated and because we don’t see a connection we tend to ignore them. But when we see a connection things change.

For example, I’m riding my bike home and stop at a set of traffic lights. My thoughts wander between the traffic and tomorrow’s team building session. I look around and see a guy in front of me wearing a plain black T-shirt with the words … “You are who you are when no one is looking” in bright neon yellow. So bright the words seem to vibrate. They’re impossible to ignore, and then … Bang! Pennies drop. Light bulbs exploded. That’s the training theme I’ve been looking for!

Coincidence?

Maybe it is. But coincidence for me suggests randomness. There’s no connection. It’s happenstance. It has no apparent relevance to my here and now. Nothing to learn here son, move on, move on.

Synchronicity is different. It’s more conscious. More relevant. It joins dots and helps to make sense out of the barrage of distractions that have become synonymous with our daily lives. Maybe Jung was right when he suggested that synchronicity was just meaningful coincidence but it’s also an ever present reality for those who have eyes to see.

I could’ve quite easily ignored the signs and let my eyes and thoughts wander to the guy with no crash helmet and three young kids squeezed all over his bike and thought “What an idiot! There’s an accident waiting to happen!” But I don’t. I see him but I don’t let him distract my focus, my energy.

I’m not pretending to be some sort of mystic or enlightened being but I do believe in energy and the connectedness in all things. Maybe that’s why I’ve found myself living in Bali, a place that has such an intense awareness of how we’re all connected it should be a shining light for the rest of the world. Sure, it has it’s problems just like anywhere does, but one of the core elements of Hindu Dharma (the most influential belief system here) is something called ‘Tat Twam Asi’, which roughly translated means ‘I am you and you are me’.

At its most basic it’s an understanding of energy and how we’re all connected because what we do has impact and consequences.

I believe we manifest reality by what we think and what we say and what we do, so when I see (and read) a string of appropriate and connected LinkedIn posts I’m thinking “Hmmm. That’s cool. I am not alone! I am they and they are me!” And then I’m inspired even more. Inspired to read more, learn more, talk more, engage more.

So a big shout out to Mareo, Graham, Colin, Tony and Tony. Like-minded souls. You’re showing me the more I open myself to lessons to learn, the more the universe provides the opportunities to grow. And I love you for it!

Namaste.