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I have been over analyzing this forum topic for far too long. "Allowing for serendipity" just seems like a given to me. Throughout most of this life guide I felt a mix of agitation and agreement. Apparently, people are obsessing over every little choice, but hey, what happened to prioritizing? For instance, I like jeans, don't get me wrong. And I have short legs that are a bit of a hassle to find good jeans that make me feel comfortable. But that's why I buy my jeans at one store in the same size. I'm not going to every single manufacturer of jeans and agonizing over new styles. Hey, if it works why would I change it? If I go to the mall for jeans, I can be out of there in a half hour and the mental break down is avoided. And if for any reason, I'm in the mall freaking out over shirts, or some article of clothing that I like a little variation in, I'd like to think that I can just leave. If I'm not enjoying a shopping trip with my mom/friends/etc. I usually just leave.

I just assumed this was standard practice.

Anyways, "allowing for serendipity" increases satisfaction. Well, yeah, I can relate, in fact when I read this I am groaned out loud.

I'd like to think I have absolute control over what effects me and what doesn't. Everything that happens to us is how we perceive it. On crummy days, this becomes more or less my mantra.

It's raining; that's out of my control.

I have back to back classes that last three hours. That was once in my control when I scheduled my classes that way, but now I've got to sit through them.

These might be fixed, but I'm not obligated to feel any which way about them. I don't agree that increasing satisfaction is done by an other worldly force. But I can understand that we have to be in control of our feelings to appreciate serendipity. 

I have an optimistic attitude that if I want to feel happy I can feel happy. I know as I'm writing this, this is very idealistic, but still, when did the human race become such zombies stuck in the same patterns?