What did I learn today as an entrepreneur?
I learned that not everyone sees there is always a verb before the word opportunity.
Think about that for a minute.
We need to LOOK for opportunities.
We need to CREATE opportunities.
We need to GIVE or be GIVEN opportunities.
We need to TAKE opportunities.
We need to CAPITALIZE on opportunities.
We need to PASS on opportunities.
We need to USE opportunities.
We need to RECOGNIZE opportunities.
I am sure I am missing a few on my list here but I think you get where I am going with this. Opportunity and or opportunities always take work and or action on our part.
The famous Ann Landers wrote, “Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.” Her point has two aspects that ring so true for me. #1 – They are work; and #2 – They are disguised.
Opportunities do not just arrive and materialize into all we hope they will be. They do not self-install or work for us and our businesses, though they do seem to have a mind of their own. For some, opportunities will sit and wait forever – it seems; and for others, opportunities will be there when we are ready to receive them; and yet for still others, opportunities arrive and leave so quickly it is in hindsight that they recognize they were even there.
Another point on opportunities is often “you” don’t see what “I” see. This viewpoint goes two ways. You don’t see what I see for you, and I don’t see what you see for me. What do I mean by that? I believe there are a lot of factors to this point but to me, this says so loudly we should be pointing them out for one another and be open to seeing from one another’s perspective.
Another verb I should have added to the list above is ‘chasing’. I have been guilty of ‘chasing’ an opportunity only to find it is not within my reach and by reach, I mean capability, but yet, I have spun my wheels trying to take something I was not capable of holding onto and working effectively.
Not every opportunity is for us. Hardcore fact! This is my second favorite part of my thought process on opportunities. My first favorite part was the knowledge there is always action associated with opportunities. My second favorite part is we truly need to know where we are going, what we want to accomplish, and what our core goals and values are to determine what opportunities are meant for us! Not every opportunity is for us.
Be willing to do the action/verb for your forward movement and be a team player. Keep an eye out for fellow business owners. I, we, they need your perspective at times and community is so valuable for just that – perspectives around opportunities.
Submitted By:
Cheryl Clark of Clark Strategies | team@clarkstrategies.ca | www.clarkstrategies.ca