"Edge Events" Lead You to Huge Opportunities

Most of your life is made up of a series of long shot occurrences; let's call them Edge events. The person behind you in line has never stood next to you before. Your new best friend, whom you have not yet met, decides to move to your town; in three months, that person will buy the property next door.

We minimize the frequency with which Edge events populate our lives. It is human nature to fall into routines, to fail to notice details, and to make decisions based on things that have already happened. So you think: I go to lunch at the same time every day, and nothing new happens. But, in reality, you almost always see someone new; you just fail to notice, or care.

When I lived in Stamford, Connecticut, I almost never read the local paper. But one rare day I did, and noticed a brief blurb that "Marketing 1:1 hired Robert Gans as Internet Director." The "1:1" caught my eye, because I had just read "The One to One Future" by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers; "1:1" was used throughout that book, but I didn't know the pair had a company in my town. Ten days later, after sending them an introductory email, I was their partner.

The bulk of our lives are comprised of Edge events, which we misinterpret as highly predictable, routine events. Our sense of routine lulls us into a sense of complacency, and we miss opportunity after opportunity.

As regular readers know, I believe that every time you interact with another person, three words should immediately come into your mind: help this person.

By first thinking how you can help someone else, you change the nature of your relationship with that person and with the world around you. To paraphrase Adam Grant, you become a giver instead of a taker.

A huge side benefit is that this approach makes you much more likely to notice Edge events. Why? Because you will be interacting with more people in a more substantive manner; you are much more likely to notice new faces engaged in new initiatives.

I'm going to say this again, because it could change your career and life dramatically for the better. By thinking help this person, you increase your odds of spotting Edge events that lead you to immense opportunities.

Edge events, often disguised as routine events, can help you spot important new trends. They can lead you to an amazing new job. They can find you love, and meaning, and joy.

Pay attention to the Edge.

By the way, I took the photo at the top of this article, using two very simple objects. Can you guess what it shows? Here are 14 more images to help you figure out not just how I took the photos, but also how you can enrich your life:

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Bruce Kasanoff is co-author with Michael Hinshaw of Smart Customers, Stupid Companies. Bruce also has free ebook guides available at Kasanoff.com.

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