Here’s the thing about opportunity. “She” has a wardrobe filled with
disguises. Sometimes opportunity just doesn’t look like opportunity! If you
aren’t watching for her, she may brush right by you unnoticed. I’m learning
that opportunity doesn’t always knock. Sometimes she waits in the wings or
behind the scenes.
For example:
. She attends the team meeting that’s been derailed by excuses and
negativity. There’s your opportunity to be a catalyst for positive momentum. Change the course of the conversation with an accountable question. “What pieces of this problem do we control?”
. Opportunity is available for that routine, mundane task. How? She would
ask, “How can you add value to this? How you make it better?”
. You’ll find her as you greet the day, when you are grateful for
the opportunity to start fresh and try again. Each day brings with it a new slate of opportunities.
. Notice her when you decide to break out of destructive patterns
and make new choices for yourself. The options and chances here are endless, limited by only your imagination.
. She may hide behind a persistent problem or inside a daunting task you’ve been procrastinating. She may simply dare you to try something new as you approach the task or maybe, if you’ve been putting it off, just to begin.
. She’ll even dream with you – big, beautiful dreams about the
future that you want to create with her by your side.
Thinking about opportunity in this way changes where I look for her and what I
think she looks like. I want to recognize her in all of her disguises!
When I can see opportunity, she allows me to take her hand and go further than I’d imagined possible!
All the best,
Dondi
Where do you find energy and inspiration? What inspires you to take a risk,try something new, and rise to the occasion?
It’s early on a Saturday morning in San Antonio, TX, and I just finished a radio interview with Tom Chenault (tomchenualt.com). The conversation ignited a flood of ideas and a wave of energy! That’s what happens when you spend time with people who are optimistic about the future and taking complete charge of their lives. That kind of energy is absolutely contagious! It infuses you with confidence and encourages you to press through.
Now (more than ever) we must seek out the people and relationships that energize us, inspire us, and encourage us. This is not the time to “do lunch” with whiners, complainers, and victims! These people will drain you of the strength you need. Even if (especially if) you are in the middle of the storm, surround yourself with people who are learning, innovating, and producing solutions. (And be that person for others.)
You were built for success. Surround yourself by people who encourage you to grow.
All the best,
Dondi