Personally, I doubt the old proverb "Opportunity only knocks once." To invest in that belief limits people from experiencing many greater advantages offered throughout their lives. I like the advice of Alexander Graham Bell: "When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us." Bell confirms the value of living in the opportunistic present while resisting temptations to dwell on the past.
Opportunity, by definition, involves risk that, if taken, disturbs comfort and rearranges the personal status quo.
Yet without opportunity, few have enough initiative to discover advantages for improvement on their own. The first step to taking an opportunity is to recognize that this opportunity may represent a step beyond initial success. Although it may include industry that appears difficult, the measure of its total worth is crucial to involvement.Great opportunities often cloak themselves as fairly impossible situations. Being open to discovering challenging opportunities sharpens one's mind while this heightened awareness provides one's eyes the clarity needed to seeing more and better opportunities as they present themselves.
Spotting an obvious opportunity may be easy but that does not mean that a person will always see the best options. The best way to see increased, beneficial opportunities employs proper positioning. People looking for an opportunity must place themselves in situations where good opportunities are more likely to happen. Networking is a wonderful key. Making friends with the people in the same field, attending seminars, joining social networks, and even talking with those who are directing themselves toward success can increase one's odds of finding a unique opportunity.
Next, positioning merely places a person at the proper places. Good opportunists must also be ready to ask the right questions. The right questions lead them to the answers they will need to seize the opportunity presented. Many people actually practice these questions beforehand to become better prepared. Listening and questioning are skills not to be taken lightly. The aim of the quest is usually accomplished in a friendly, confident manner that allows an opportunist's sincerity to show.
After people acquire all the answers they need to move on, they must take action. Once the decision to act is made, people should not look back. The great teacher Seneca once said, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." The wise prepare and take advantage of opportunities to expand their personal growth. They, in essence, control their own good luck.
Even if the opportunity ends as a failed proposition, an opportunist uses the experience to hone skills for the next lucrative prospect. Henry Ford said, "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." For many, even to be offered a great risk is a meaningful honor that builds confidence and self esteem. Building the great resolve to make success happen may require repeated attempts to grab the most golden opportunity.
Last, the smart individual must remember that opportunity may come disguised as misfortune, which is actually only temporary defeat. For example, any crisis is composed of both danger and opportunity. To meet the opportunity of dealing with dire circumstances, a person shows fearlessness and selflessness. From doctors to generals, great people in highly opportunistic occupations are in high demand. Danger and opportunity may go hand-in-hand. Even, in general situations, people must practice skills to deal with pressure and challenges to rise above negative opportunities.
The opportunity of a lifetime is on the horizon. The recognition, positioning, preparation and activity people use to meet and confront that future opportunity increases the likelihood of making the acquisition of it a reality. Those with great initiative never stop pushing themselves toward opportunities; those who live in contentment seldom care. Without a doubt, everyone can look back and remember a failed step into an opportunistic situation, yet anyone who wishes to have "just one more chance" must actively prepare to meet the next "ship to come in."
Frank,
ReplyDeleteAs part of our continuing discussion on the state of the area, I wanted to share with you an illustration of the problems Portsmouth faces and the complete lack of effort by the city government to do anything about it. As you may or may not know, my mom owns a small business, presently located in Portsmouth. She decided to add a service, requiring health dept. licensing. Here are her own words from a recent email:
"I'm trying to talk myself out of moving the business back to Wheelersburg. It's strange how one thing leads to another. The Health Department in Portsmouth is driving me crazy over the tattooing of permanent makeup. They want $300.00 a year for my license, they want to parade 6 different departments through for inspection, each at a cost to me of course, plus of course city income tax. The fact that they just sent their inspectors through last year for the same service and found everything OK doesn't matter. The county on the other hand simply wants $100.00 a year and no income tax, no inspection if I am in a state licensed facility, which of course I have to be for my business.
So I decided to rent a room from a friend who owns a similar business in Wheelersburg and my new service 1 or 2 days a week and spend the rest of the week at my business in Portsmouth. While I was in Wheelersburg talking to my friend I decided to drive by the place where I used to
be. First of all the traffic was incredible. A steady stream of traffic in both directions. All businesses had cars parked on their lots. And what did my eyes see? The best rental in that strip, the end one, had a for rent sign. So just out of curiosity I called my old landlord to see what the rent would be. It is larger than my old rental and I figured it would be high. Not so! So now I'm crunching numbers. I have no employees to drain my income. I think the visibility on that
strip would be fantastic to launch my new service.
I have no visibility where I am now and must rely on word of mouth and radio ads which are really high. Today I drove up there again and the streets were even busier.
So...I'm going to mull it over for a few days.
This is the experience, more or less, of most entrepreneurs in Portsmouth. The city officers are more concerned with lining their pockets and protecting their rice bowls than fostering an economic climate that will stimulate business and jobs, thus making the area a more desirable place to live. As long as the same city council members, or those with the same interests, continue to get elected, the city will continue to deteriorate. The conditions fostered by this graft and corruption make for a perfect environment for drug dealers.
The only way to foster opportunity is to elect honest officials who have the expertise and desire to legislate positive changes for the business community. Unfortunately, the best and brightest the area produces, the very people you need to foster this change, are moving away in droves. A vicious cycle indeed.
Very interesting story. It's amazing the difference in the business procedures of both places, especially in close proximity. This illustrates a major problem for attracting business in the city. I am amazed.
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