Are you missing your opportunities?

Opportunity as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is

1: a favorable juncture of circumstances

2: a good chance for advancement or progress

One of my favorite quotes

“The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger – but recognize the opportunity. “J.F. Kennedy

Is there any danger in stepping out of your comfort zone? Sure is! I am not taking about going out on a limb and risking everything on an intuition. What I am talking about is being prepared for an opportunity. In my past experiences, I have come to realize that the really good opportunities only come around every so often. If I was not prepared, the opportunity didn’t stop and give me an extra 10 minutes to get ready. It was gone, never to return (at least not the same situation). Sometimes someone else took advantage of the situation (they were ready for it) or it may have just fizzled away.

I am asking you right now, if a real opportunity were to walk up to you and introduce itself to you, are you ready? Again, are you REALLY ready? Could you make a presentation this evening which would get you noticed by some of the leading firms in your area? If you are offered a job at twice your current wage, are your resume, portfolio, and contacts prepared? If your manager quits today and your company looks to you as a person of interest, are you really ready?

Now if you are a person of excuses and frequently uses lines like “There is just not enough time to prepare”, “I just don’t have enough knowledge”, or “They wouldn’t choose me anyways” then you are missing out on opportunities!!!!!!

Remember this, the perfect arrangement between the availability of opportunity and your preparedness rarely occurs. You need to be ready when opportunity knocks, because most times, it only knocks once and you need to get to the door. So get your things in order, know what you really want, keep your eyes open and get prepared for your opportunity. The next time you hear your knock at the door, you won’t have to ask “Am I ready?”