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# Fortuitous Encounters
![[calendar-plus.svg]] <small>May 15, 2022</small> | ![[calendar-clock.svg]] <small>Jan 03, 2023</small> 🏷️ [[self-actualization]]
**Author:** [[Paul Davis]] and [[Larry Spears]]
**Citation:** Davis, P., & Spears, L. C. (Eds.). (2013). *Fortuitous encounters: Wisdom stories for learning and growth.* Paulist Press. https://amzn.to/3NlvJId
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# Abstract ~ 3 Sentence Summary
# Structure
The book is a collection of essays - stories of fortuitous encounters the authors have experienced.
At the end of each story are [[fortuitous encounters journal prompts]].
# Notes & Important Ideas
### Power of Fortuitous Encounters
- The definition of a calling is "bringing all of yourself to what you do” ([Location 63](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00BLNPHTO&location=63))
> [! quote]
> the more “purpose moments”—or what’s become known as “fortuitous encounters”—that we experience, the more likely we are to find satisfaction and fulfillment in all that we do. ([Location 76](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00BLNPHTO&location=76))
- Power of seeing the extraordinary in ordinary people.
> [! quote]
> we all have talents and that if we spend time together we all have something to learn and something to teach. ([Location 119](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00BLNPHTO&location=119))
> [! quote]
> any meeting with another human being is important. It just might be a fortuitous encounter. ([Location 120](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00BLNPHTO&location=120))
- Learning and growth is reliant on ability to experience [[fortuitous encounters]].
> [! quote]
> a person could increase the odds of experiencing fortuitous encounters by simply being open to their possibilities. ([Location 149](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00BLNPHTO&location=149))
### Lessons from Fortuitous Encounters
> [!quote]
> leadership is not about what you get by being a leader, but about what you are willing to give up. ([Location 173](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00BLNPHTO&location=173))
> [! quote]
> we get the chance to take control when we choose our actions and reactions “on purpose.” ([Location 226](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00BLNPHTO&location=226))
- We can learn from others both what to do and what not to do. Therefore, we can learn from everyone.
> [! quote] If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself. —Confucius ([Location 249](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00BLNPHTO&location=249))
> [! quote]
> serving the interests of the team and its individual members will allow everyone, the manager included, to achieve greater success and personal fulfillment. ([Location 369](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00BLNPHTO&location=369))
- One can demonstrate true [[servant-leadership]] when they: ([Location 421](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00BLNPHTO&location=421))
1. Educate others
2. Take a chance on them
3. Mentor them
> [! quote]
> you never know when the fortuitous encounter will occur, or with whom it might be. ([Location 586](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00BLNPHTO&location=586))
> [! quote]
> effective doing is based on the quality of one’s being ([Location 875](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00BLNPHTO&location=875))
> [! quote] One friend, one person who is truly understanding, who takes the trouble to listen to us as we consider a problem, can change our whole outlook on the world. —Dr. E. H. Mayo ([Location 956](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00BLNPHTO&location=956))
> [! quote]
> [[empathic listening|Empathic listening]] creates a feeling of acceptance and understanding when individuals feel alone and misunderstood. ([Location 997](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00BLNPHTO&location=997))
# Connections to Other Materials
The power of fortuitous encounters is that they not only change the life of the individual directly affected, they can also have a profound impact on many others across time and space.
- There were several examples of this in the movie *Babette's Feast*:
- Achille Papin's fortuitous encounter of discovering Filippa didn't just change his life, it eventually led to his friend Babette finding refuge with Filippa and her sister. And that led to Babette's positive influence on the lives of the people in the village. None of that would have happened if Papin hadn't met Filippa.
# Personal Reflection & Application
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# Other References