Many of the great inventions of history were born from an unexpected connection. But that doesn't mean that anyone could have discovered them. Serendipity exists, but it needs an awakened mind for the spark to appear.

We check the time on your phone and it's 11:11. Option 1: you think it's a perfect time to upload the screenshot to your social networks along with an inspiring message. Option 2: you stay thinking about the causalities of life. Option 3: you realize that you are 11 minutes late for your 11:00 meeting.

Everything that happens to us in life is chance. When something strikes us as extraordinary, it is because we are paying attention to it more than anything else. We see the time many more times a day, but 5:46 is not a magic hour.

When a great idea surprises us at the least thoughtful moment, it is not a coincidence. All external stimuli conspire for what we have in our heads. When we allow these elements to connect so that new things are born, serendipity appears.

Serendipity is a fortunate finding that occurs when one was looking for something else. Like that man in ancient Greece who, at bath time, noticed that the water was overflowing from the bathtub. This everyday detail made him understand that a submerged body experiences a vertical upward thrust equal to the weight of the fluid dislodged. Archimedes discovered his principle and went out naked to celebrate in the street.

Another serendipity story was experienced by Alexander Fleming. While working in the laboratory, a culture of bacteria became contaminated with fungi. He thought that everything had been ruined, but he saw that the fungus was fighting the bacteria and discovered penicillin.

In the 3M factory, due to a miscalculation, liters and liters of a very weak glue were produced. At the same time, an engineer at the plant was tired of losing the markers with which he placed the songs in the psalm book of his church - a miracle! God had sent him the perfect glue. That's how the Post-It were born.

Serendipity can be mistaken with luck. Luck is passive, serendipity is not. Quite the opposite. It demands to be awake, willing to make connections. Before the stethoscope was invented, doctors put their ears on patients' chests so they could listen to their hearts, which was totally inappropriate. One day in 1816, the French doctor René Laënnec, saw some children playing with a wooden board. One hit it from one end and the other heard it on the opposite end. If some solid objects transmit sound, it was worth testing. The result: the first stethoscope in history was made of wood.

It also applies to carnal connections. A group of scientists from a pharmaceutical company was testing the effectiveness of a new drug to treat angina pectoris from vasodilation. The men reported side effects, but they were not adverse. Welcome Viagra.

Louis Pasteur is credited with the phrase: "chance only favors prepared minds". Stimuli can be pieces of a puzzle, but without the reference image, we would not know where to put them.

If you look at the time on your phone, don't stop at the chance. Any time is the perfect time for a stimulus to complete your own reference image. The key is close at hand. Look around and let the serendipity happen. What will be your next big discovery?