Seizing a golden opportunity seems to be something that is not talked about in many of the success books, personal development blogs, and business seminars that are available today.   They don’t mention how important it is to be able to recognize and capture an opportunity to succeed.  As I make strides towards success in business and life, it is becoming clear to me that seizing opportunities is imperative in making those successes possible.

During an interview, Will Smith was asked how he was able to be so successful while many other actors in Hollywood still struggle.   He responded by saying,

“The main reason most actors have not seen success in this business is because they miss key opportunities.”

I would agree with Will and I would add that it isn’t just in Hollywood that people are missing opportunities.   Most people will never see their dreams come true because of the simple fact that they seem to miss opportunity when it presents itself.

I once worked for a very large company that got bought out by an even larger company.  Those of us who worked for the company had no idea what was going on and didn’t even know if we were going to have a job in the future.  The stock price of the company took a nose dive and many people lost a lot of money.  There was panic throughout the company and uncertainty was in the air.

I decided to look for opportunity amongst the mayhem.  I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with the company but I did know that the stock price was extremely cheap.   I decided to buy a lot of the stock understanding that there was a small risk involved.  Before I bought my shares, I told about 6 of my co-workers that I was going to buy and that they should too.  They all were interested and said that they would buy too.

A few months later, when the panic began to die down and the merger began, the stock price skyrocketed.  I went into work expecting to high-five everyone that told me they would buy the stock when it was cheap.  But it turned out that only one of them had bought the stock.  The rest of them were too afraid to take the risk.

The truth is that my co-workers and I were in the same situation.  We were all presented with the same opportunity.  But since I seized the opportunity, I benefited.

There are many reasons why we sometimes miss opportunities.  Here are just a few.

• Fear of making the wrong decision
• Focus on the problem not the possible opportunity
• Lack of preparation
• Procrastination or hesitation
• Giving in too early

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Seizing a Golding Opportunity

Stay Ready-Getting ready for opportunities is very important but staying ready is even more vital.  Many people wait their whole lives for their golden opportunity but when it finally comes, they are not ready to receive it.  One of my favorite quotes from Thomas Edison is “Good things come to those who hustles while he waits”.  Anyone who wants to achieve great things should adopt this philosophy.

Perseverance-Being persistent means continuing to pursue your goal no matter what obstacles come your way.  Perseverance is important to seizing opportunity because it is hard to take action when you are feeling sorry for yourself.  We never know how close we are to our next big prospect.  That is why it is vital that we persist until the golden opportunity presents itself.

Lookout for Opportunities-When things happen around us it is easy to focus on what is happening as opposed to what may come of it.  One of the only ways to seize an opportunity is to see the opportunity.  When events happen in our lives, we must be able to focus on the possibilities that follow difficulties.

Be ready to Risk-In order to win, you must be willing to lose.  Most people miss golden opportunities because they are not willing to take a risk.  By taking risk, we are opening ourselves up for greater change and growth.

“A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.”- Sir Francis Bacon

Create Your Own Opportunities-So what do you do when you seek opportunity and can’t seem to find it?  Well, you make opportunities.  Begin to be proactive in your actions.  Try changing the way you do things and monitor the results.  You may find that actions will create new- and possibly better-outcomes.

Seizing a golden opportunity can be the difference between what is and what could have been.  Are ready to seize new and greater opportunities this year?

Ralph Jean-Paul is not only committed to his own personal development, but he is also committed to the personal development of everyone he comes in contact with. This desire to see growth in himself, led him to begin to mentor others. Ralph also found his purpose when he began to speak at universities, corporations, associations and other organizations. To learn more about Ralph, please visit Potential2Success.com.