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Accidents of Good Fortune: Why Courage Creates Opportunities You Never Saw Coming
Every life-changing journey begins with a decision. In this inspiring story, Isaac from Nigeria shares how one courageous step, taken without certainty, resources, or guarantees, set in motion a series of extraordinary events that would shape his life's purpose. His story is a reminder that some of life's greatest blessings are only discovered after we decide to move.
PERSONAL GROWTH
Isaac Gimbason
8/4/20266 min read
The Accidents of Good Fortune You Will Never Experience Unless You Make a Move
"I am learning that on the other side of your decision to face the mountain before you with faith in your heart, even when there is no assurance of victory, are these unexpected, unplanned, uncalculated, unlikely, what-are-the-odds kind of events that happen and change your fortune for good. They are called Accidents of Good Fortune."
This thought came to me during a quiet moment of meditation, and it has shaped the way I now think about courage, faith, and opportunity.
The irony of life is that many people pray for opportunities while refusing to take the first step. Yet some of life's greatest blessings only reveal themselves after we choose courage over comfort.
The Accidents of Good Fortune that change our lives are seldom accidental. They are often the rewards waiting on the other side of faith-filled action.
If you never move, you'll never meet them.
When Faith Makes the First Move
I experienced this truth firsthand during my undergraduate years at university around 2012/2013.
I felt inspired to start a platform called the Real Entrepreneur's Forum, an initiative designed to help students develop entrepreneurial thinking by inviting successful alumni to share their stories, experiences, and principles for success.
The vision was exciting.
The reality was intimidating.
I had no funding, no sponsors, no team, and no roadmap.
Still, I did one seemingly unreasonable thing. I fixed a date for the event three months in advance and began telling people it was going to happen.
Looking back, that decision changed everything.
Three Months of Nothing
For three long months, absolutely nothing happened.
No sponsors.
No venue.
No speakers.
No equipment.
No publicity.
Nothing.
As the event date drew closer, discouragement set in. Three days before the scheduled program, I seriously considered cancelling the entire event.
It seemed like the sensible thing to do.
Then a quiet thought came to my mind:
"At least write the order of the program."
It sounded almost pointless. After all, what was the use of preparing a program for an event that might never happen?
Yet I obeyed.
At the time, I had no idea that my simple act of picking up a pen and writing the program instead of giving in to the temptation to quit would become the turning point. Looking back, I believe that was the moment providence was activated.
The Scottish mountaineer W. H. Murray captured this truth beautifully in his book The Scottish Himalayan Expedition:
"The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred."
That perfectly describes what happened next.
The First Miracle
Before I could write the third item on the program schedule, my phone rang.
It was a friend I had mentioned the event to three months earlier.
He apologized and said he had suddenly remembered our conversation. Then he asked a simple question:
"How are the preparations going, and how can I help?"
Within hours, he used his influence with the Fellowship of Christian Students to secure speakers, microphones, cameras, and other essential support for the event.
Suddenly, what had seemed impossible began moving.
That same day, we submitted a request to use one of the lecture theatres in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
It was approved.
The Second Miracle
Next, I contacted a friend who was a graphic designer and asked him to design posters for the event.
He agreed.
The design was completed free of charge.
The only problem was the printing.
Printing would cost ₦10,000.
At that time, I didn't even have ₦1,000.
Still, I told him something that, humanly speaking, made little sense.
"Go ahead and start printing. Before you're done, I'll somehow get the money."
It wasn't confidence in my bank account.
It was confidence that if this vision truly mattered, somehow the next step would appear.
An Accident of Good Fortune
Then came something I could never have planned.
When my friend arrived at the printing press, the owner looked at the poster and became interested in the event.
He said he had always dreamed of speaking to university students about entrepreneurship but had never been given the opportunity.
Then he did something extraordinary.
He decided to sponsor the entire printing cost.
Every single naira.
When my friend called to tell me what had happened, I could hardly believe it.
I immediately called the printer myself, not only to thank him, but also to invite him to become one of the event speakers.
He gladly accepted.
The posters were printed that same day.
We publicized the event that night.
The Beginning of Something Bigger
When the day finally arrived, the event exceeded every expectation.
A total of 172 students attended.
What had looked impossible just days earlier became a reality.
More importantly, that event marked the beginning of a lifelong journey into human capacity development, a journey I continue to pursue with passion today.
Looking back, I now realize something profound.
None of those remarkable events would have happened if I had waited until everything was perfect before taking action.
The phone call would never have come.
The printing sponsor would never have seen the poster.
The speakers would never have been assembled.
The 172 students would never have gathered.
The opportunities were already waiting.
They simply required movement to be discovered.
The Lesson
Many people postpone their dreams because they are waiting for certainty.
But certainty is often a luxury that comes after obedience, not before it.
You may not have every resource.
You may not know every step.
You may not even feel fully prepared.
Yet courage has a way of introducing you to opportunities that planning alone never could.
Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the refusal to let fear make the decision for you. When you choose to act despite uncertainty and the temptation to quit, you create room for opportunities, divine intervention, and breakthroughs that would never have appeared if you had remained still.
Sometimes the miracle isn't waiting at the finish line.
It's waiting after the first step.
Recently, someone asked me, "At what point can we truly say a person has failed in life?"
My answer was simple.
The moment a person quits.
As long as you refuse to give up, there is always another opportunity, another lesson, another breakthrough waiting ahead. If you keep moving, even when you have every reason to stop, you create room for divine intervention and unexpected breakthroughs.
So if there is a vision in your heart, a business you've been delaying, a book you've been meaning to write, a project you've been postponing, or a dream you've quietly buried because the odds seem against you, perhaps today is the day to move.
Because on the other side of courageous action are those beautiful, unexpected moments that change everything.
Those moments have a name.
Accidents of Good Fortune
Editor's Note: What about you?
Have you ever experienced what Isaac Gimbason calls an "Accident of Good Fortune"? Perhaps an unexpected opportunity that only became possible because you took a courageous step of faith.
We'd love to hear your story. Your experience could be the encouragement someone else needs to take their own first step.
At Especially for Ladies and Guys, we believe that some of life's greatest lessons are learned through real experiences shared by real people. That's why we exist: to inspire growth, spark meaningful conversations, and equip people to make wiser decisions in every area of life.
Explore more inspiring stories, practical life lessons, and wisdom from contributors around the world throughout the blog. Your next breakthrough may begin with the next story you read.
Isaac Gimbason
Isaac Gimbason is a thinker, speaker, and writer with a passion for leadership, personal development, and human capacity building. He is a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University and holds a Master's degree in Public Relations from Bayero University. A licensed Human Resources Professional (HRPL) with over a decade of experience in Human Resources Management, Isaac is the founder of Primesage Innovation Hub, which comprises Primesage Consulting and Corporate Talent Academy.
He also serves as President of Renewal International Christian Network, providing leadership for initiatives such as Renewal Outreaches, ANANEO, and the Melchisedek Campaign. An alumnus of Rhema Bible Training College, Abuja, Isaac mentors thousands of young people and has trained organizations across diverse industries. He is married to Oluchi Gimbason, and they are blessed with a daughter, Charissa.
@GimbasonIsaac
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