In a 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, Steve Jobs talked about the value of “connecting the dots” in your life.

Okay. fair warning: this post will be a bit woo-woo for some people, but my post last week called The Magic Happens Outside Your Comfort Zone was one of the more popular ones recently. For anyone who listens to James Wedmore's Mind Your Business podcast, he runs multiple 7-figure businesses, and all of that woo-woo stuff has worked very well for him.

I believe the woo works for inventors as well.

So, what is meant by connecting the dots in your life? It is this: often events and circumstances arise in your life that seem random, unplanned, and to have little value or consequence in the present. But later – perhaps 6 months or even years later – you will look back upon those events and see how the dots really connected to your future, your career, even your life in a meaningful and consequential way.

But, what if you could recognize those “dots” now – to see their potential future benefit now – to celebrate them and consider how they may be driving a future benefit to you? Wouldn't that be great?

Read on for the details.
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Want to learn more about Connecting the Dots?

Click on the blue button below now to grab your FREE copy of – Connecting the Dots in Your Life – PDF now. It has the famous Steve Jobs 2005 Commencement address. Well worth watching and listening to.

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My Connecting the Dots Stories

I believe that there are two kinds of connecting the dots scenarios that occur in all of our lives from time to time:

  1. When something you fervently wish to happen – like landing a new job – doesn't occur and you feel unhappy, let down
  2. When you decide to do something new or different – which seems either trivial or random – but turns out to be very consequential

In 2000, I was actively engaged in a job search campaign.

There were 3 potential jobs on my plate: 2 of which seemed very enticing, and a third choice which was unmotivating and unenticing to me. I fervently hoped to land either of the two enticing options and had equally fervent feelings about not to have to accept the third job option.

In the end, neither of my preferred job options happened and I reluctantly accepted the third option – a job with Alcatel.

At the time, I was really unhappy. “Why does everyone else land the plum jobs?” I asked myself.

I wasn't thinking about connecting the dots. But, within 6 months, I saw things quite differently: the one job I wanted, that was venture funded, was a complete bust and all the employees were laid off. The other enticing job – upon further investigation – would have required traveling over 80% of the time with very high expectations upon “delivering results” – super high stress. I was divorced and my children were young, so that job would not have been a good choice for me at all.

Whither the Alcatel job?

It was a short 15 minute commute to work every day, working for a great boss, developing my skills and a 40-hour work week for good pay. Almost no travel. It was perfect fit for my needs. Also, I enjoyed working there and found there were career growth options I had not seen before. It was perhaps the best 3 years of my career.

It was during that time, I invented what would later become a very successful invention – the Wonder Wallet – that sold over $30 million in the marketplace. What if I could have seen the dots then and not fought events as they rolled out, just trusted God or “the universe” to take me where I needed to be?

Regarding option 2, I can think of many examples of this in my life.

When I left my engineering job at Boeing in Seattle in 1983 and moved to Dallas – without a job – I was considering new career options. My mind was open to many possibilities.

When I was on a plane, I asked my seatmate what he did for a living – he seemed to be working on interesting things. He said, “oh, I am a consultant.” There was a dot. Later, it seemed whenever I met someone new, they did consulting for a living. Hmmm… This happened way too often to be mere coincidence. My interest was piqued and, over time, I began doing speaking, training, and consulting.

Since then, consulting in one form or another has formed the core of what I have done as an employee and as an entrepreneur. 

How to recognize and embrace your “dots” now

I believe there are absolutely no coincidences in life. When someone comes into your life – they are there for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Period. The key is to recognize which of the 3 scenarios applies! 

Perhaps on a whim, you decide to take a square dancing course, thinking it could be a good stress reliever and good exercise as well. But, look deeper. Maybe there is more to that choice – and it is not really a whim at all. Maybe you will love square dancing so much you will begin to teach it yourself. Maybe you will meet your future husband or wife there. 

Now look back upon various events and circumstances that occurred in your past.

They seemed random at the time, didn't they? But, looking back upon them, can you see a larger pattern at work? Perhaps your friends tell you that you give such great “advice” to them. Do you enjoy giving advice? They seem to benefit from your advice. Maybe you should start a side hustle as a life coach and see where it goes.

Like my Alcatel job, it could be the best (random) choice you ever made!

Stay tuned!

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Want to learn more about Connecting the Dots?

Click on the blue button below now to grab your FREE copy of – Connecting the Dots in Your Life – PDF now. It has the famous Steve Jobs 2005 Commencement address. Well worth watching and listening to.

Want to attend a FREE live, interactive webinar all about licensing?

Click on the orange button below to attend the next FREE – License Your Invention for Royalties – webinar.

All you need to attend is a cell phone, laptop or desktop computer

Get answers to all your licensing questions during the webinar. Just click for details and to join free.