It’s often said that success happens when opportunity meets preparation. The beauty of life is that we all have access to opportunities. However, only a few people have trained themselves to recognize these opportunities, and more importantly take advantage of them. An opportunity is defined as either a favorable or advantageous circumstance or combination of circumstances, or a chance for progress or advancement.
No matter where you may be in life currently, there’s always more…something better…and greater. Don’t let the memories of the past impede on the dreams of tomorrow. Past failures or success is never an indication of what opportunities are available for you going forward.
The next phase of progress in our lives many times is routed through the door of opportunity. Hence, it is imperative that at every point in life we ask “what’s next?” and “How do I get there?” The answer to these questions is in preparation!
What does it take to take advantage of opportunities?
Decision
It all starts with a decision! I realized that life got much better for me the moment I began to take decisions and own them. When you make a firm decision and follow through on it, it is empowering. You recognize that you are responsible for your life and with that if you don’t like the way things are you can make a change. The feeling of being able to influence one’s circumstances is one of the highest cognitive states.
Zig Ziglar said, “As a young aspiring speaker I heard a motivation speaker say ‘You are where you are because that’s exactly where you chose to be.’ I was broke, in debt, and down in the dumps. It came through loud and clear that I was where I was and what I was because of the choices and decisions I made!”
Doing nothing or making exhaustive complaints about your current situation is a decision in itself. Your decisions, not your circumstances, determine your destiny. Make a decision to prepare for the next phase of your life and to take full advantage of God given opportunities.
Recognize that there are certain aspects of your life that you have the power to change, and make a decision to do what it takes to make those changes. You become happier and fulfilled to the degree you feel in control of your life, but it all starts with a decision!
Perspective
Do you see the glass half full or half empty? Both pessimism and optimism have their advantages, but I’d rather be an optimist. For you to make the best of opportunities and succeed, you must have an expectation of a better future. You attract what you expect and what you hold in your mind; with an optimistic perspective on life, you are conditioned to see the positive in situations. As a result, when others are blinded to possible opportunities, you will recognize them.
Adjust your thinking to see positive things. Pessimism is much easier than optimism, so is the way to failure which is much easier to navigate. Many times we restrain our optimism and positive outlooks because of our past experiences, but recognizing opportunities requires that we be able to see newness and possibilities of the future. Do away with sentiments of the past. As a matter of fact, the “good ol’ days” are really not that great. Life progressively gets better as it gets worse. The question is which do you choose?
Remember that what you fill your mind with will determine the opportunities you see. Be an incurable, though cautious optimist.
Preparation
Like in many situations in life, preparation equals power. Success happens when preparation meets opportunities. You must be ready for that defining moment that would change the trajectory of your life, career, or business. Preparation ought to be a lifestyle where we train and win small victories along the path to actualizing our vision.
The better we are at recognizing and taking advantage of the smallest opportunities, the more likely we are to do well when the big opportunities come by. Do not turn away from battles, but face them and win them.
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