The authors wrote this article to share a message of hope to change agents working in higher education. Even if change cannot happen right away, assembling a foundation of interested collaborators, waiting for the right time to act, and thinking of past failures as opportunities to build the groundwork can result in productive changes. Acting once this foundation is in place, and the timing is right significantly increases the likelihood of success. In the stories the authors highlight, successful and sustainable change agents who prepared for change and waited for the right to act, usually during a disruption of some sort. Sometimes change agents did this consciously, and other times the behavior was more intuitive or just plain lucky. Regardless, future change agents can learn what good timing and preparation looks like from these examples. While the change journey is different for everyone, the authors hope this article will provide change agents a new lens to examine the role of preparation and serendipity at their own institutions.