By Emily

How to nurture coincidences in your daily life:

You will find that by paying attention to your coincidences, they will multiply.

The first step is simply to take notice and even record your coincidences. Some coincidences are self-evident: you run into a friend from childhood far away from your hometown. Or coincidences can be thematic. Currently I am having a string of coincidences involving Argentina. I run into Argentinians, waiters suggest Argentinian wines, I'm seeing Argentina everywhere. Clearly, Argentina is a current theme in my coincidences.

Go with the coincidences.

These things are happening for a reason. Whether the universe is bringing them to you, or you are bringing them to yourself the coincidences are not accidental (see our Coincidences article for more on this). If the childhood friend you ran into invites you to have a cup of coffee, go! They have arrived in your life for a reason, if only to turn around an otherwise boring day. Listen to what they have to say. It may be important. If the coincidence is thematic, investigate further. I had no idea why Argentina started coming into my life, when suddenly my life circumstances rearranged to make moving abroad a definite possibility. Argentina is on the list of destinations.

Review your life for big coincidences.

We all have them. Most of us have gotten jobs, found love, or made other big life changes based on coincidences. In fact, if you really think about it you'll find that MOST of the big changes in your life came from coincidences. You may even notice lifelong themes. By reviewing past coincidences you will begin to trust your intuition more. Coincidences are more likely to arise when you are ready to see them and trust them.

Patterns are important.

Sometimes I'm not sure if something is a coincidence. I might be very excited about a strong coincidence and start looking for them everywhere, overzealously. Don't worry about misidentifying a coincidence. If it is something you need to know, it will surely pop up again. This is where patterns occur and themes become apparent. I ran into an Argentinian girl I don't know very well. Alright, small coincidence. I wasn't really sure what to make of it. Then Argentina starts popping up all over the place and I run into the same girl AGAIN. Clearly this is something I need to pay attention to, though I haven't got it figured out quite yet.

Finding meaning in coincidences.

Usually coincidences occur to show you where to go or what to do in your life. Positive, pleasant coincidences mean you are on the right track. Follow those coincidences. Negative, unpleasant coincidences mean you are on the wrong track. Think about the circumstances surrounding that coincidence. I find that I will have negative coincidences or "bad luck" when I go against my instincts or gut feelings. When I correct the problem, my coincidences turn positive again.

Check out our Coincidence Log for our real life coincidence stories. Coincidences are a lot of fun once you get used to looking for them.