Serendipity means the seemingly random things that are continually going on in our lives, that we feel that we are not controlling or in control of. Sometimes these things seem good to us at the time and sometimes they don't.

However, its only with a large serving of hindsight that we can ever really tell. And the interesting thing is that with hindsight, its often the things that we didn't like at the time that were some of our most valuable experiences. The things that challenge and shape us, that make us more, stronger, more resilient, more compassionate. And often better people.

Some typical examples are the minor car crash where you meet your future wife, or the day that you sleep in missing your bus, the same day that it crashes, or for me the day that we went to a boxing event in Belfast that was cancelled, but that led to lunch meeting that has taken my career in a totally different direction ever since.

For many years, the Irish and even foreign visitors had a sense that Ireland was a backward place, that had been only lightly touched by civilization. It was so pronounced, that many of the Irish who travelled overseas had something of an inferiority complex. They were content to take what they were given, and often did the hard labour work required to build and rebuild cities after the war.

Though at the time many of the indiviuals who laboured at such tasks may not have had a great sense of identity or esteem with these same projects, it is serendipitous that the Irish developed a solid reputation for being able to take on and complete large projects including actually building New York, and rebuilding much of England including London after the war.

The Irish took their misfortune - the drudgery of hard labour, and turned it into a tremendous advantage in that Irish firms now undertake and complete some of the largest and most impressive construction projects all over the world and have exemplified themselves as master craftsmen that consistently get the job done.

And in relation to the backward country of Ireland, it is now renowned as one of the beautiful and unspolit countries in all the world, with outstanding natural beauty, and a booming tourist trade.

In the words of the famous English poet, the thorn bush has roses.

Today, it is absolutely imperative that we look beyond the media to our natural strengths and seek to use these to create phenomenal wealth for ourselves, our neighbours and our country.

It is the unreasonable man who can truly make progress, and for this reason we must unreasonably expect to create tremendous wealth for ourselves and all those around us during our lifetimes. If serendipity teaches us anything it is that, what the average guy can reasonably expect to happen often doesn't and that in the final outcome things always work out just fine.

Commit to a wealthier future and serendipity will lead the way.