SPIRITUAL SERENDIPITY: Cultivating and Celebrating the Art of the Unexpected (Paperback)

by Richard Eyre (Author) "On this emerald-green, high-mountained island in the indigo-blue Indian Ocean ("Sri Lanka" means resplendent isle) workers are fortunate if they earn 100 rupees per week..." (more)
Key Phrases: spiritual serendipity, three princes, silver cylinder, King Behram, President Tanner, Sri Lanka (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
J. Willard Marriot Chairman and President, Marriot Corporation Business is filled with people who have become efficient planners, schedulers, and time managers. Much more rare is an individual who has developed the awareness and flexibility to notice unexpected opportunities....Richard Eyre has written about this rare skill (and how to get it).... -- Review

Product Description

The word serendipity was coined by the eighteenth-century British writer Horace Walpole, who defined it as "that quality of mind which, through awareness, sagacity, and good fortune, allows one to frequently discover something good while seeking something else." It is an attitude of mind and heart that attracts and enhances joy. As a mental approach, serendipity can energize your life by enabling you to balance spontaneity and structure and allowing you to harness time, not manage it. As a spiritual quality, serendipity can create a bridge between your will and the will of the Divine, allowing your life to be guided and open to change. Now, New York Times bestselling author Richard Eyre offers up a delightful and poetic book that shows you how to develop this serendipity of the spirit, how to relish rather than resist change, and how to move from where you are to where, perhaps, God wants you to be.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (July 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684838605
• ISBN-13: 978-0684838601
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #116,004 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect gift for yourself or someone you love, December 9, 1998

By	Marcia Conner - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spiritual Serendipity: Cultivating and Celebrating the Art of the Unexpected (Hardcover)

This short book is an amazing work of art, filled with stories, poems, prose and insights, surpassing tomes ten times its size. With simple, thought-provoking writing, Spiritual Serendipity is a joy to read and the first I ever began re-reading as soon as I came to the end!

Please don't let what could be construed as a religious title scares you off. This book is about life, thought, feelings, intuition and faith without ever being sermon-like or preachy. Serendipity of the spirit, Richard Eyre convinces you, is a way of life and an attitude that can help you bring together happy accidents with a sense of understanding for what should be. This book describes and helps you create a guided life filled with the creativity, fun, happiness, joy, and productivity so many of us miss. This book provides a way to feel connected in a world with far too many steps and not enough direction. Enjoy!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely enlightening and inspiring, November 27, 1998

By	Kerry Keiser ([e-mail]) (Austin, TX (& Arlington, VA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spiritual Serendipity: Cultivating and Celebrating the Art of the Unexpected (Hardcover)

As one who struggles to find balance in this age of fast technology and "virtual" relationships, I found this book to be extremely enlightening and inspiring. Eyre suggests helpful ways to become more aware and present in the moment, while maintaining focus on goals. The spiritual side seems to focus on Christianity, but is inclusive of Eastern spirituality as well. Spiritual Serendipity was a great read for this Thanksgiving weekend - helping me open my eyes to the beauty of the world and the people in it - and to give thanks.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Views from CEO Blog, April 10, 2006

By	Jim Estill "www.jimestill.com" - See all my reviews

On the flight down to Fremont I read a great book called Spiritual Serendipity by Richard Eyre. Ties in to time management in a big way. Serendipity is defined as the gift or faculty of finding something good while seeking something else. I often have this. It is part of my charmed life.

It contains the fable of Serendip (which is now called Sri Lanka and was formerly called Celon)

Interesting, the book is very big on setting goals. With goals, you will find the good you seek often without even looking for it. Sort of like planting the seed I spoke of in an earlier post.

Quotes from the book:

"Time is like the tides and currents - it needs to be harnessed not managed"

"While Serendipity is helped by goals and direction, it is hindered by the heavy, overstructured plans and highly detailed lists and schedules...sucking away from the opportunities and surprises of the present."

Although I am passionate about time management or in my case, time leadership, I have often been asked "does it not detract from life?" etc. This is the answer. Have goals and plans but also allow time for serendipity.

The book is interesting and very thought provoking.