Inspirational thoughts: I think luck is the sense to recognize an opportunity and the ability to take advantage of it. Everyone has bad breaks, but everyone also has opportunities. The man who can smile at his breaks and grab his chances gets on. ~ Samuel Goldwyn
So what does do these inspiring opening words mean to you? Much more than you think. You see, often times, your best opportunities are disguised in a bad break or situation. How so?
When you’re comfortable and things are going along, okay to wonderful, you’re not as inclined to change or look beyond the surface of your life. You are more likely to be unmotivated to search for something different or more.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” or how about, “don’t rock the boat?”
It’s when things fall off course and you experience pain that you start to search for answers. It’s during these times, if you’re smart, you should look for the opportunity to make your life better.
Here’s an example. Early in my career, I decided that I didn’t need to have a college degree. I simply worked hard under the assumption that my hard work and dedication would pay off.
While I did experience limited career success, I missed out on several management promotions, because I didn’t provide myself the best opportunity to get the position. Several people who worked just as hard as I did, but obtained a college degree received promotions ahead of me. The experienced sucked! Also, I learned a valuable lesson. I made sure I was prepared for future opportunities. I’m sure you can think of situations in which you lost out on opportunities as well?
More Inspirational thoughts: Opportunity rarely knocks until you are ready. And few people have ever been really ready without receiving opportunity’s call. ~ Channing Pollock
This brings up my next point. You have to prepare yourself for future opportunities. You have to keep you eyes and ears open, do a little research, take action to position yourself for success. This goes for any area of your life.
As an example, I have an employee on my team who understands this concept well. He took advantage of a time when we did not have a Team Lead over his department. He volunteered to take on some of the responsibilities, without extra pay, to help me out. Well guess what? He ended up with the position. He saw an opportunity, willingly did a little extra work, and reaped the benefits.
Now, with the New Year fast approaching, you probably will spend a little time reflecting on the past 12 months. Use this time as your chance. How can you attract the situations you want into your life?
You don’t just luck into things, you build step by step; whether it’s friendships or opportunities. ~ Barbara Bush
Do yourself a favor, please take fifteen minutes of your time and really think about those times when you let an opportunity slip by. For instance, maybe you passed on the chance to meet with old friends or acquaintances; maybe you put off a unpleasant conversation, because you were dreading the fallout (in the mean time, you continued to live with the pain), or maybe you just haven’t found the time to do that one little task that can really free up time or lift a load off of your shoulders.
Now consider these inspirational thoughts: Opportunities are usually disguised as work, so people don’t recognize them. ~ Ann Landers
Don’t let opportunity slip through your fingers. Seek them out or create your own. The bottom line is that opportunity is a gift you do not want to miss. Stay alert and take advantage of opportunities to improve your life. Use these inspirational thoughts as a reminder.
