Windows
Opportunities appear not to those who wait, but to those who look.
The problem is, not everyone looks. Most sit on their divans and wait for the apple to fall, although there is no tree around. Okay, sometimes there is – outside – but most of the time, the leaves are not even ruffled by the wind.
And these people – they wonder – why isn’t there anything happening in my life?
When the cost of opportunity is nominal, a pittance.
It can be bought by small talk, an exchange of looks, or a simple email. But there has to be a dash of audacity, daring, bravura.
You only need a window – an opening that will give you glimpse of what is beyond – the something that is out there, and good, and waiting for you. You also need a sprinkling of imagination to spur you on so you can take the first step.
And the second, and the third.
But some of the time, you do not even need a window – you can find or create opportunity.
Here are some ways:
1. Get yourself out there. Socialize. Somewhere in that sea of people could be your shot at making it. It could be the classmate that looks as innocent (clueless) as you do, or the teacher himself (though you think you are brighter than him), or the little guy at the party (who has got big ideas), or the mom of your son’s classmate (who is a supermom), or a schoolmate from long ago you found again through Facebook (who is a marketing genius). Talk to them, try to get to know them, find common ground. Look for that window. Zoom in on what they are doing now, on what you perceive as their strengths, and how they can possibly benefit you, and you them. This latter part is important – because you also have to put something on the table. Which brings me to the next tip.
2. Attain a level of expertise. On anything. I know of someone who is an expert on Excel – the worksheet with all the formulas that 80% of us cannot even begin to comprehend. He lives in Singapore with his family rent-free in a three-floor house, with living expenses and school expenses and transportation provided for. His income is net income in all the sense of the word. Just because he mastered Excel.
3. Think out of the box. Instead of following the trends, of doing what has been proven to work, look instead for untapped markets. Internet marketing alone has a wealth of untapped markets to, well, tap – i.e., the baby boomer generation (age 50 or over), free e-book submission services, automobile lovers. Who ever thought pictures of cats in various stages of leisureliness (icanhascheeseburger.com) or mailing secrets anonymously through a homemade postcard (postsecrets.com) could generate so much buzz and so much money/opportunity? And “markets” can mean not only demographics, i.e., the female economy, the disabled (cars for the vision impaired, for example), the geeks – but also geographic locations. For example, there probably is no broadband or internet access, or clean/potable water in the south of something.
The opportunities are here and they are limitless.
But there is a final step in this journey to opportunities. It is being the opportunity. A teacher in my RFP class said that “the measure of success is not riches, but by the number of employment – of opportunities – you have generated.”
Here’s a thought from the Napoleon Hill World Learning Center: Are you waiting for success to arrive, or are you going out to find where it is hiding? The poet John Milton’s words, “They also serve who only stand and wait,” may be both profound and genuine, but the true riches of life are far more likely to accrue to those who actively go out and seek them. Seldom does success come marching in accompanied by a brass band in full regalia. More often, it’s achieved by those who labor long and hard. Take the initiative, and you will create your own opportunities. There is no substitute for action backed up by a well-thought-out plan.
Find the opportunity. Or make the opportunity. And then be the opportunity.
Article by Issa. Painting by Danvic Briones. Copyright 2011.
Website: www.YouWantToBeRich.com
Email: issa@youwanttoberich.com
P.S. Here’s an opportunity for you – the Money Summit and Wealth Expo 2011 – at a still discounted rate. You can register and learn more here.
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