Saying Yes to Opportunities

Success is just a small step

It's a fact universally known that the more you do something the more chances you have to succeed. The more times you set up a booth at the Farmers Market the more chances you give yourself to make money. The more times you buy a lottery ticket the more chances you have to win. The more dates you go on the more chances you have to find Prince Charming.

I have read many interviews with successful people and how they became successful and I have noticed a couple patterns. First, they always have their eyes open for new opportunity and they seize that opportunity. Second, if something unexpected is thrown their way they say, "What the hell" and make the most of it.


Successful people rarely show us all the mistakes or wrong turns they took before they got to their success. So to the rest of us it looks really easy. And then we try to duplicate that success and wonder why it takes so long to reap the rewards. Success is just a small step in a long line of exploring opportunities.

Opportunities are everywhere

Start watching out for opportunities and ask meaningful questions about the things you encounter throughout the day. If you meet someone new ask yourself if they have any qualities that could help you in your life. Is there anything you coffer in return? If someone asks you for a favor ask yourself if this could be an opportunity to show off your talents.

Recently a new friend of mine was given 15 boxes of burlap by her uncle who just happened to know a guy who sold it to him. Her uncle gave it to her with the instructions of "be creative". She used that burlap to make bags, purses, clutches and makeup bags. She opened a store on Etsy and made $300 in her first week! She found out that burlap was all the rage for weddings this year.

When she first told me this I was jealous. I kept thinking, "Why can't I be that lucky?" But then realized that it wasn't complete luck. She is a creative person and her uncle knew this. So when he was offered to buy the burlap he knew that his niece would more than likely find something to do with it. And because my friend didn't turn away from a good opportunity she took the burlap and turned it into something. The only thing that was luck was the fact that burlap is so popular right now. I thought about it some more and started to wonder, "What opportunities have I passed up?"

It's hard to know what opportunities are worthwhile and which ones aren't. But that comes with practice and understanding and focus. When you know what you want and know what your purpose is it becomes easy to know which opportunities to pounce on and which ones to pass by.

But you'll only learn if you practice keeping your eyes open and try some opportunities out.