As with most things, it’s easier to spot the things we don’t have, or even the things we’ve missed. In this case, I’m referring to our friend, opportunity. If hindsight were a profession, many of us would be pros. Unfortunately, it isn’t, so it’s best we prepare ourselves to recognize opportunities when they present themselves to us.
“It is better to be prepared and not have an opportunity than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.” -Whitney Young
How to better prepare yourself:
Give yourself direction. Or, even if you don’t know exactly what you want, that general idea you’re holding onto is exactly what you need to get started.
Learn! This is a general statement, but incredibly important. Learn all you can about the things that interest you. In addition, learn about the things that interest others. There’s no better way to create opportunity than to connect with others.
Be a forward thinker. Consider any and all possibilities. Of course, due to the organic nature of life we may not be able to prepare for every scenario. However, we can, at the very least, prepare ourselves for multiple scenarios for any given situation.
Practice Awareness. Awareness keeps you in the moment and ready for when opportunity strikes. This is a practice and easily one you can perfect over time.
Be open. When you recognize opportunity as it presents itself, be open to it. Don’t let it pass you by. Recognize it, acknowledge it, and jump on it. Do. Not. Hesitate.
There is a lot more I would love to add, though for the sake of brevity, and to hear from you, I will leave this list as it is. The most important takeaway is that opportunity surrounds us; we simply need to be prepared and open to seeing it.
How do you prepare yourself for opportunity?
By Nicholas Lucin