Opportunity Comes Once
14:55
I
read somewhere that if you focus on problems you will have more problems. And if
you focus on possibilities you will have more opportunities. Over the past couple
of weeks, one thing has become clear to me, excuses will be there for you but
opportunities won’t be.
As Thomas Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because
it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
So
many people are quick to make excuses because we refuse to open our eyes and
see that life is beyond the now. If you don’t take opportunities as they come, what would be left is a life of “What ifs” and “Maybes”. The open doors of opportunity are all
around you, but they won’t do you much good unless you learn to see them and
recognize when to walk through them.
You see, you never know when the door of opportunity is going to
open wide. For some, the big break comes early in life and for others later on.
But for all of those who become successful, there is one key similarity: They
were ready. And for every one of those who were ready, there were thousands
more who weren’t.
One of life's biggest
ironies is how often people complain about their
circumstances, yet rarely do anything about it. It's
not that they don't have good intentions, or the desire for change isn't great.
It's that change is scary and risky. Even when we're unhappy with our
current situation, we are familiar with it. For this reason, we often miss
opportunities, even when they are staring us right in the face.
Let me share with you
a story I read. Laurie was frustrated and burnt out from a very stressful job, she
found herself with little energy or time to work on her wellness goals. Working
in the face of constant deadlines led to lots of eating on the run, convenience foods
and stress munching. Extraordinarily long
hours made getting to the gym difficult. The only enjoyment Laurie
got from her work was the huge paycheck she received at the end of the
week. Of course, she had no time to spend it on entertainment or
shopping. Although her savings was growing, her happiness was declining
rapidly.
The one bright spot in
Laurie's week was the volunteer work she did with underprivileged children on
Saturday mornings. Despite the hectic schedule she kept, she never missed
that appointment. She also served on the organization's board, made it to
every meeting and did all the bookkeeping for them.
It was fascinating that although she complained about having too much on her plate, Laurie never entertained the idea of giving up her volunteer work. It was the one place she got to use her strengths, forget her daily concerns, and have fun!
Laurie began thinking around the idea of looking for another job. As so many others, Laurie had a vision of a better way, even a clear picture of what she would need to get there, but she was so often frozen in her progression. At times, she was desperate to switch gears, and yet sometimes undecided about making the change.
It was fascinating that although she complained about having too much on her plate, Laurie never entertained the idea of giving up her volunteer work. It was the one place she got to use her strengths, forget her daily concerns, and have fun!
Laurie began thinking around the idea of looking for another job. As so many others, Laurie had a vision of a better way, even a clear picture of what she would need to get there, but she was so often frozen in her progression. At times, she was desperate to switch gears, and yet sometimes undecided about making the change.
The more she thought
about it, the more her confusion and worry mounted. What if I can't find
a job that pays as well as this one? Could I make do with less? What if I think
the new job sounds great, and it turns out to be just as stressful as this one?
"What ifs" were keeping Laurie exactly where she was--except now, on
top of everything, she was feeling frustrated and annoyed at herself for being
"too scared" to try something new.
Laurie's story is not unusual. Why is taking a chance so difficult? Why do we hesitate to change, and so often spend more time thinking rather than doing anything about it?
Laurie's story is not unusual. Why is taking a chance so difficult? Why do we hesitate to change, and so often spend more time thinking rather than doing anything about it?
Most of us lead lives
filled with routine. We get up at a particular time, get ready for our
day, and embark about the myriad of responsibilities we need to attend
to. We don't give much thought to them; we just go through the motions
getting things done, crossing them off our lists and then moving on to the
next. When thoughts such as, "Is this all there is?" or
"I'm bored, and want a change," creep in, we know it's time to look
for new opportunities.
Sometimes, all you
need to do is right there staring you in the face just waiting for you. It is
better to act and be wrong than to not take action and be stagnant.
1 comments
Life indeed is all about taking risks
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