Patterns
I don’t go to Starbucks for coffee all that much. Certainly less than once a week, sometimes not for months.
I like a few non-food things about Starbucks: 1) the quotes on the paper cups, 2) the weekly free download from iTunes. Mind you, one has to visit an authentic Starbucks location. An outlet that “proudly brews Starbucks” does not have these nifty features.
So the following recurrence has struck me as a bit odd. During my last three visits to Starbucks, likely spanning the last two to three months, the quote on my cup has been exactly the same. Eerie, no?
I am also reading a book (The five patterns of extraordinary careers, Citrin & Smith). Last night, upon starting chapter five, I came across exactly the same quote as the one on my Starbucks cups. Double eerie.
I did some research. According to the author’s website, the quote was put on 500,000 cups in 2005. Based on this and other stats (e.g. how many cups are printed/consumed annually, US/Canada distribution patterns, total number of quotes circulating at any given time), the odds of me encountering the same statement could be calculated. But it would take me far too long to figure out if my math was correct.
Coincidences make me take notice. I don’t think coincidences “just happen.” I think they have a reason; that they have meaning.
In the end, I am left with a quote I will remember for a long time and perhaps little else.
Failure’s hard, but success is far more dangerous. If you’re successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever.
Po Bronson
