Wednesday, May 20, 2009
There are a lot of people who spend extraordinary amounts of time and energy lamenting their fate, and trying to convince others (and themselves) that the world is against them. It's a shame, really, because if they spent just half that energy seeking and seizing opportunity, they would be a lot happier and a lot better off. Opportunity is a wonderful thing, and the best part is that it's everywhere. It's not reserved for the rich, or powerful or smart. It's all around us, and there for the taking. You just have to know how to look for it.
The ability to see and take advantage of opportunity comes with three things - education (formal and informal), initiative and awareness. And each of these are readily available to anyone willing to make the investment. Education takes time and commitment, initiative takes courage, and awareness takes focus. The rest is easy.
Consider these three scenarios:
1. Two men go to a rummage sale. One picks up an old dusty vase ticketed at $20, then sets it down feeling it's not worth the price. The other picks it up, recognizes it as a valuable antique, and gladly pays for it - selling it days later for a hundred times its value.
2. A stranger is seated between two unemployed women in an airplane, and says 'hello' to each. One woman chooses to ignore him and engross herself in her book. The other woman strikes up a conversation, and discovers that he is the recruiting manager for a large company who just happens to have a perfect job for her.
3. Two birds stand on a branch over a wormhole. One becomes distracted by a distant noise and turns its head just as the worm appears. The other swoops down and has its breakfast.
Are these just examples of good luck? Perhaps. But as the old saying goes, "good luck is where hard work meets opportunity." Opportunity is indeed everywhere - but the rest is up to you.
"Don't worry about missing out on an opportunity. It's when you stop looking for opportunity that you should start worrying"
