How Cosmic Forces Shape our Destinies

Today is 72 years since the death of Nikola Tesla. On January 7, 1943, Tesla died alone in room 3327 of the New Yorker Hotel, leaving behind nearly 300 patents and a number of books and articles for magazines and journals. In one such article, Tesla shares his holistic view of the world. “How Cosmic Forces Shape our Destinies” was published 100 years ago, and it is still relevant and refreshingly insightful. In loving memory of the great inventor, I share here what I perceive as things we can all learn from those who shaped our world through discoveries.

Problem is a Situation in Need of a Solution

Innovation is a philosophy and a lifestyle for those who shape our world with their discoveries. Innovators have a very unique and intentional manner in which they approach the future. For them, the problem is not a reason for fear. It’s simply a situation in need of a solution—and a call for exploration. Innovators have the courage to embark into the unknown and the tenacity to stay on course until the new reality is realized.

Discoveries and Developments Start with Imagination

If innovation is a bridge between the presence and a possible future, then the cognitive origin of the future is in our imagination. As Dr. Wayne Dyer nicely said: “All that now exists was once imagined.” If no one can imagine it and describe it, it cannot be built. Fantasy and imagination are essential to innovation, and so is the freedom to dream, explore, and play. If you want to be a great innovator, nurture the dreamer and the curious child in your heart. Stay enthused and open to seeing the world with fresh eyes every day, and the world will open up its secrets to you.

Magic Happens When Insight Meets Foresight

An important trait of serial innovators is their ability to maintain foresight. They are system thinkers, and they spend time understanding the world we are in and all of its various aspects. They study past legacies to see what will become obsolete and what needs to be changed. They maintain a holistic and dynamic view of the problem to allow for creative surprises. They ask: “What if...?” “Why not...?” And “How might we…?” They look behind horizon and pivot as needed. The other side of being is the inner presence and insight. Insight exists in our conscious self, and it's a seed of creativity. Insight is a fragment of some truth revealed, an echo of the universal in particular. Through the practice of mindfulness, meditation, observation, awareness, internal dialogue, yoga, relaxation, and balanced nutrition, we can train our minds to be more insightful.

When foresight and insight converge into one, we experience the “a-ha” moment. Suddenly, it all seems to connect, to align, to fit together. It all finally makes sense. The vision of a new possibility emerges. An idea for a new possibility is born. Innovators know how to access their foresight and insight to understand a problem effectively.

Ambiguity is an Opportunity for a Breakthrough

Serial innovators thrive in ambiguous situations. They aren't stopped or impeded with uncertainty and risk associated with the unknown. In fact, serial innovators are very effective in converting ambiguity into an opportunity and unknowns into assumptions, ideas, and solutions. They are able to define new contexts and give meaning to their experiences and sensations. They paint a bigger picture even when there are apparent gaps in understanding. Ambiguity, in fact, may be the perfect condition for a breakthrough transformation. Ambiguity increases randomness and relaxes the walls of our currently held beliefs so we can create space for uncovering and connecting new dots.

Importance of Timing

The dots connect when opportunity meets preparedness. We experience it as synchronicity, serendipity, or coincidence. The way it appears is as if the whole universe conspired to support your intent. In some religions, this is called a state of grace, the anonymous gift of God. These coincidences become more frequent when one has a good clarity of his intent. In his paper “How Cosmic Forces Shape our Destinies,” Tesla says:

Thus, everything that exists, organic or inorganic, animated or inert, is susceptible to stimulus from the outside. There is no gap between, no break of continuity, no special and distinguishing vital agent. The same law governs all matter, all the universe is alive.

Serial innovators are enlightened entrepreneurs that gracefully turn ambiguities into opportunities.

Innovation Needs a Movement

While invention may happen in the solitude of one’s lab or the privacy of one's home, giving birth to innovation isn't a solitary endeavor. Relationships matter. After all, innovation only lives when society accepts it. Breakthroughs happen when an idea becomes a movement that speaks to the minds and hearts of others. Innovation engages core desires, aspirations, and dreams. Serial innovators seem to know how to create the climate for the adoption of their innovation. They inspire as role models. They know how to tell stories and create a sense of urgency. They drive an agenda for change. One thing Tesla greatly enjoyed was making his inventions palpable in the hands of the world:

I had carried out what I had undertaken and pictured myself achieving wealth and fame. But more than all this was to me the revelation that I was an inventor. This was the one thing I wanted to be. ... The inventor, I thought, gives to the world creations which are palpable, which live and work.

Transcending to Wisdom

Some innovators are true sages whose wisdom transcends their time. Through their works and graceful service to humankind, new truths continue to be revealed and realized.

Every living being is an engine geared to the wheelwork of the universe. Though seemingly affected only by its immediate surrounding, the sphere of external influence extends to infinite distance. There is no constellation or nebula, no sun or planet, in all the depths of limitless space, no passing wanderer of the starry heavens, that does not exercise some control over its destiny—not in the vague and delusive sense of astrology, but in the rigid and positive meaning of physical science.

Tesla was 59 when he wrote these words. It was February 7, 1915, nearly one hundred years ago. He passed away on January 7 while dreaming and building the future that we now enjoy. Today is a perfect day to gracefully remind ourselves of sages and innovators like Tesla and greater laws and principles that hold together the fabric of our reality in dynamic interdependence and harmony.

Stay inspired. Imagine. Play. Experiment. Connect and build. Bring your whole Self to this beautiful and troubled world of ours.