“Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.”  – Boris Pasternak.

I’m a big believer in having personal and professional goals and plans to achieve them.

It’s my view that spending time devising and pursuing goals is time well spent. Having well-formed goals and action plans enable us to make the best use of our time.

That said I also believe that we need to leave some room in our life for unexpected surprises and opportunities. I can recall countless situations that people have described to me concerning unexpected events and situations that were positive. In many cases they were exactly what they needed at that point in time. Some refer to these as serendipity, which the dictionary defines as “the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.”

A great recent example of serendipity relates to a story from last Christmas concerning the royal family. Karen Anvil of Watlington in Norfolk went to Sandringham House in Norfolk on Christmas Day to watch the royal family go to church.

Whilst there she took a once in a lifetime photograph of four beaming royals (The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle). That picture has changed Karen and her daughter Rachel’s lives.

She posted the picture on social media and that simple act had very positive unexpected consequences for her and her family.

When she woke up on Christmas morning and travelled to Sandringham, she would have had no clue that her life was going to change. Furthermore, she wouldn’t have envisaged that the picture she took would make the front pages of the Sun, Daily Mail, Mirror, Star, Daily Telegraph and Express newspapers.

It was also featured in the international media. Karen said that more than 50 publications worldwide contacted her asking to use the photo. Countries included Canada, Spain, Italy, USA and Japan. It was also on the front cover of the January edition of Hello magazine.

As a result of the media interest, Karen got an agent who handled all requests for publication. The unexpected commission she earned from publication of the image is a welcome boost for Karen and her family. Karen is a single mum and has two jobs in order to support her family.

Rachel plans to study at university. It’s not clear how much Karen earned from the photograph but on Christmas Day, Ms Anvil told the BBC she hoped to fund her daughter’s university education from the image sales. Karen will be able to pay for all of Rachel’s books and help pay her rent whilst she is studying.

Karen’s agent Ken Goff reported that as well as good sales in the UK the photo sales abroad were healthy. The unexpected windfall will enable Karen to do some things that she didn’t imagine she would be able to afford. These include driving lessons for Rachel and a trip to the United States in December to celebrate Rachel’s 18th birthday.

Karen plans to return to Sandringham next Christmas, as she wants to see the royal babies. Perhaps she will take another life changing snap!

Karen was doing something that interested her on Christmas day. It just goes to prove that sometimes in life you just have to show up and engage in activities that interest you and you truly enjoy.

When we pursue hobbies and interests that we are passionate about and make us happy, some unexpected magic can occur.

It’s therefore important to leave some room in our life for the universe to work its magic and to do things we are passionate about.

The story is also a great lesson to always carry a camera as you never know what images you will be able to capture.

This week, why not take some time out to reflect and consider if you are dedicating enough time to things that you are interested in, are passionate about or bring you joy.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk