Do you ever wonder why some people seem to live a great life, with no effort whatsoever? Do you have a friend who seems to get one exciting – yet effortless – opportunity after the other? Ever wandered around a mall in the hopes that a complete stranger will come up to you and offer you a dream job/life?
Why does it seem like so many people get so lucky, while all you seem to do is grind away at a boring — sometimes thankless — jobs.
The way you read the following sentence may be just the clue you need: opportunity is nowhere.
You could see it as “opportunity is nowhere” or “opportunity is now here” – depending on your general attitude about opportunity and life.
How to identify it:
The best definition I’ve ever heard is: “luck is when opportunity meets up with preparation”. I had to think about this one, but then I realised that this was just how I got my first chance to become a mountaineer.
Mountaineering had been a childhood dream. As a nine-year-old I was captivated by a documentary of the first successful summit of Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, in 1953.
Exactly 17 years later, I applied to be a member of the first South African team to plant the new national flag on Everest. I was accepted and have been climbing ever since.
At the time it seemed unrealistic to expect that a township girl would get the chance to climb Everest and when I was selected, a friend wondered out loud how I got so lucky. I told her I’d seen an entry form attached to an article in the Sunday newspapers. She’d seen the article too, but not the entry form!
My theory is this: even if opportunity is now here, we will only see it if we have a clear idea of what we’re looking for. In the 17 years I fantasised about climbing Everest, my subconscious was constantly searching for ways to connect me to my adventure. People aren’t necessarily lucky, they just know what they want… sometimes a long time before it happens.
Opportunities for a fabulous future:
When you look at the following points, do you strongly agree or disagree?
1. The better prepared I am for my future, the more opportunities come to me.
2. I am focused on, and feel excited about, the next five years of my life.
3. I continuously refine my idea of the future in order to make the best choices.
4. I actively and continuously seek out possibilities for ongoing personal development.
5. The contributions I make often lead to interesting opportunities/events/projects.
Your responses to these statements determines whether you’re an opportunity grabber, or someone waiting in the wings hoping to be discovered!
Dare to dream!
Don’t be afraid; dreams are free and dreams can take you anywhere — even to the top of Mt. Everest! In his book Seizing your Divine Moment (Thomas Nelson Books), Erwin Raphael McManus suggests that when a moment is missed that opportunity too is missed, and that a dream is a moment still to come.
Your challenge is not to seek divine moments, but seeking your divine moment: the moment which connects you with your clear vision. Starting with the simple question, “what do I really wants” could lead you to the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.
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