5 Planned Happenstance Skills
Analyzed through Krumboltz's life events
Curiosity
Persistence
Flexibility
Optimism
Risk-taking
Curiosity
An attitude of exploring and seeking new learning opportunities
Event 1: The Start of Tennis
A friend brought out a birthday tennis racket. "What's this?" Curiosity about a sport he'd never seen sparked exploration.
💡 Manifestation:
He tried the racket on the street, and this curiosity led him to find a proper court and eventually become a varsity tennis player.
Event 4: Becoming a Counselor by Standing in Line
He went for Educational Psychology but ended up in the Counseling line. "I don't know what counseling is, but it'd be nice to counsel myself and figure out what I want to be."
💡 Manifestation:
Curiosity about an unexpected option made him explore counseling despite not understanding it initially.
Persistence
The ability to keep making effort despite obstacles
Event 1: The Start of Tennis
He started playing tennis on the street like ping pong, then kept practicing despite it being unconventional.
💡 Manifestation:
Through continuous practice, he became a varsity tennis player, showing that persistence transformed a casual street game into serious athletic achievement.
Event 3: Born in Iowa, Go to Columbia
A professor said "you probably won't get in" to Columbia, giving a pessimistic prediction about his application.
💡 Manifestation:
He completed the application process despite the negative prediction and was accepted, proving persistence overcomes obstacles and doubt.
Flexibility
The ability to change attitudes and circumstances
Event 2: The Tennis Coach's Secret
He didn't know what to major in, and his coach said "psychology of course!"
💡 Manifestation:
He open-mindedly accepted the suggestion and chose psychology as his major, showing flexibility in changing his direction based on trusted guidance.
Event 3: Born in Iowa, Go to Columbia
He happened to learn about an Iowa-only fellowship that was unplanned.
💡 Manifestation:
He flexibly converted this unplanned information into a new opportunity, adapting his circumstances to take advantage of unexpected resources.
Event 4: Becoming a Counselor by Standing in Line
He went for Educational Psychology but ended up in the wrong line for Counseling.
💡 Manifestation:
"This could work too" — he flexibly adjusted his attitude and chose counseling instead, demonstrating adaptability to unexpected circumstances.
Optimism
An attitude of seeing new opportunities as possible
Event 2: The Tennis Coach's Secret
He chose psychology as his major without really knowing what it was.
💡 Manifestation:
"It'll probably be fine" — with optimism, he took classes and loved it. He even read psychology papers in the library, discovering a genuine passion through positive expectations.
Event 4: Becoming a Counselor by Standing in Line
He signed up for counseling without knowing what it was.
💡 Manifestation:
He explored positive possibilities without prejudice toward an unknown field, showing optimism as the foundation for embracing unexpected career paths.
Risk-taking
The courage to act despite uncertain outcomes
Event 3: Born in Iowa, Go to Columbia
A professor said "you probably won't get in" to Columbia.
💡 Manifestation:
He applied knowing failure was possible and accepted it. Risk-taking was demonstrated by taking action despite the high probability of rejection.
Event 4: Becoming a Counselor by Standing in Line
He realized it was the wrong line but signed up for counseling anyway.
💡 Manifestation:
He acted without fear of making a different choice than planned, taking a risk on an unexpected path that ultimately led to his career in counseling.