A few months ago, I was introduced to the word "synchronicities" for the first time. It is believed that these events can be helpful signs from the universe that we're on the right path. These occurrences are quite honestly a way to validate your own personal intuition about the direction you're headed and next steps you are meant to take.
If you're confused or curious now about what synchronicities really are, it's a word that was coined by Carl Jung, who was a famous Swiss author, thinker and psychologist. He referred to synchronicities as "meaningful coincidences of two or more events where something other than the probability of chance is involved." The event that occurs is meaningful because what plays out in the EXTERNAL world is mirroring something happening in your INTERNAL world.
To go even deeper, Tanya Carroll Richardson notes in an article about synchronicities that "from a psychological perspective, (they) might help us to notice the power of our minds beyond our understanding, like the ability of our minds to speak to us in dreams or connect with the minds of other across time and space."
While I think I've always noticed these "coincidences" in my life, I didn't know what they were formally called, nor did I always understand the importance of them. However, given my work in the energetic healing space and my experiences witnessing these synchronicities in my life and the lives of others, they are too common to discount as mere "coincidences."
Those who have been following my blog posts might recall that one year ago, my job was eliminated after almost 23 years with my former employer. At that time, I decided to parallel path starting up my coaching business with a very targeted job search to find a role and company that I felt passionate about, aligned with and that spoke to my sense of purpose. I've intentionally been VERY selective about which jobs and companies I've applied to and therefore the search has taken me 10 months up to this point.
Recently, I applied to a job that described the type of work I love doing and am most passionate about as if the job posting was written specifically for me. As it turns out, I had ONE professional networking connection who worked at the company, so I reached out to him. He referred me to the HR team that was conducting phone interviews and I had a call with HR the following day. Turns out that my contact was also the hiring manager. A few days later, I had an interview with him and I felt an immediate connection - to his leadership style, to the work that he wants to accomplish through the role that I was interviewing for and to the culture of the organization. I left that interview intuitively FEELING this was truly the right opportunity for me!
Fast forward to one week later, I was expecting a call back from the hiring manager. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to make sure that my ringer was on and the volume was turned up so I wouldn't miss his call. At the EXACT moment that I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked down at it, he was calling me. I was looking at the phone as his number came up, before the phone even had a chance to ring or make a sound.
That was just one of the many synchronicities that occurred during the interview process. Knowing the importance of these "clues" in our lives as we navigate making decisions and find the right path, whether in day-to-day personal lives or in our careers, definitely caught my attention. I've waited 10 months to feel this way about a role or company that I've been considering.
A few weeks ago, I received and accepted an offer from them. And while I might not know exactly where this path will take me, what I do know is that I'm definitely on the right path. Now I just need to trust the adventure and go with the flow to see where things go from here.
(Photo Credit: Jaime Dantas, Unsplash)