A lot of big inventions were discovered " by chance ". Let's take the case of the penicillin. In 1928 the scholar Alexander Fleming discovers it after to have forgotten a culture of mushrooms in his laboratory. He notices that a mildew that had developed (Penicillium notatum) killed all the bacteria around the mushrooms. 17 years later he shared the Nobel price of medicine.

Another example, the discovery of Velcro. While taking a walk in the mountains, Georges De Mestrallet, engineer, is irritated by the small balls of a plant that hang themselves to its clothing and to the hairs of his dog. The tiny hooks of the seeds of bardane that it observes to the microscope give him the idea of the closing Velcro.

Velcro has become a multinational corporation.

There are hundreds of examples of this type as the history of the Archimedes principle discovered in his bath, the apple of Newton (universal gravitation) or the post-it and its adhesive that sticks and puts back itself, etc.

These examples show that persons in contact with a circumstance, capitalize on that by making their creativity work.

This astonishing faculty carries a name:

The serendipity, or the creative exploitation of the unforeseen.

1) The serendipity is the art to do a happy encounter and to exploit this position to your advantage. As the history of the Mc Donald's hamburger restaurants. Ray kroc, salesman of milk-shake machines, fascinated by the concept, encounter the Mc Donald's brothers, convince them to let him take care of the franchising and some years later repurchases the rights of their corporation for 2.7 million us dollars. You know the continuation...

2) This is the faculty to find by chance something else that what is looked for. As these researchers working on a medicine destined to heal chest throat infection. They discover a secondary one very special effect: the priapism. You know the name of the product: the Viagra.

3) This is also the capacity to discover or invent by the recuperation and the creative exploitation of the consequences of an accident a priori unfortunate. As the history of a researcher of 3-M that discovers which will become " scotchgard " - the anti-smirch product for fabrics of 3-M - while dropping a fluoride solution on one of her tennis shoes. It was impossible to withdraw the spot whatever the solvent. Phenomenal success.

Without the knowledge, I have applied myself the principle of serendipity. That happened during the heat wave of 2003 in Europe.

You know, I'm teacher in a driving school. We don't have air conditioning in the car. The boss finds it too expensive...

During 8 long hours I had to sit in an overheated car! From 12 AM to 8 PM: the hottest hours. Terrible!

Here you can see the third example of serendipity. A crisis situation force your creativity... If you want. But you have to be aware of its course. Otherwise you pass by this business opportunity.

In order to find a solution to refresh myself, I forced my imagination. Because I suffered terribly. Gas atomizers are really good and refreshing but Too expensive and not reusable. I could empty a whole gas bottle a day...

A trigger sprayer is not easy to use, particularly when spraying your face. Moreover too bulky to carry or to place in a reachable spot, as the door of the car.

I didn't find a little spray you can unscrew with a Jet strong enough to spray as easy as gas atomizer. And perfume sprays are no strong enough and too little.

I wanted a water spray supple and resistant, large enough to use without being afraid to miss water when you need it the most. A water spray you can choose to fill with mineral or running water, easy to carry and so as not to feel against your body when worn. And last but not least, a water spray cheap and reusable.

While looking for a packing corporation, - again a " chance " - I fell on a manufacturer of plastic pouches that corresponded exactly to the qualities that I looked for, for my spray idea.

Some months later, the spray Pssshiiit was born.

How to develop your serendipity?

We are surrounded by consumer goods. Take advantage of this abundance of products around you. Become a difficult consumer. Criticize the products that you employ, find their defects, and then make your creativity work so as to find a solution.

Once the solution found, there is two exploitation possibilities:

1) You exploit yourself the new idea, as I did it myself.

2) You sell the idea. If the idea is patentable, make patent request in your country. If you do it yourself the gaits of a patent deposit, the price is very reasonable and it's not so complicated as you think. You have a year to find a contractor interested by the purchase of your patent.

Some thousands of dollars are always good to take. You don't risk a great deal. To the worse one, you wasted your time.

You also can force the principle of the serendipity while trying to find another application for a product. The improvement of a product can be applied to other domains. For example while looking at a biro on which was set up a movable clip to set it up to a pocket, I thought that it would be interesting for a manufacturer of pencils to place one of these movable clips in the can of pencils so as to take on yourself. In fact, a pencil never can be taken in a pocket under penalty of to perforate it.

I think actually that while being opened to the serendipity, while being conscious of his existence, you can provoke it. Remain opened and attentive to its exterior demonstrations. See how you can take advantage directly of an experience that can appear unpleasant previously.

I am of those that do not believe in hazard. All what surrounds us is energy. Our thoughts also are energy. You provoke the exterior experiences that you are more useful, good or bad. Free to you to take advantage of the experience given to you or to let the occasion go hang...