“Every day you have the opportunity to learn and experience some-thing and some-one new. Seize the opportunity. Learn and experience everything you can, and use it to change the world.” ~ Rodney Williams Jr.
Open the door for expansion, improvement, and new opportunities. They’re always knocking. Sometimes we refuse to answer because as Thomas Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
However, we shouldn’t view them that way. We should be filled with the passion to improve ourselves, our loved ones, and the world around us. These should be the motivators for seizing opportunities. Let’s be reminded, that any and everything worthwhile requires some effort.
I understand that stepping out on an unfamiliar limb can be scary. Shifting our thinking can get rid of the fear we may have. Let’s allow ourselves to imagine the good we could do with more opportunities. This must be the objective, “Doing good.”
Think of how new opportunities can allow us the chance to make our own lives richer–and enrich the lives of others. And how, if we limit ourselves, if we continue to go through life with tunnel vision (believing ‘this is the only way I can do things) we will not only be limited in our outcomes, but we will limit our ability to positively impact others.
“Sometimes the course of our lives depends on what we do or don’t do in a few seconds, a heartbeat when we either seize the opportunity or just miss it. Miss the moment and you never get a chance again.” ~ Aidan Chambers
As Gary Vee says, “We carry access to the world in our pockets every day.” We can use it for so much more than entertainment and making TikTok videos. It’s filled with resources we can use to grow. Education podcasts, Ebooks, PDFs, and educational videos in which we can learn and then teach others.
I am not saying that entertainment doesn’t have its place and provides some value in our lives. What I’m saying is, it should have its limits and be replaced with benefits at times.
What I’ve learned from my own life experience is often what I try to share with others. My mother is someone who could always find ways to seize opportunities. She had her first child as a teenager and went back to school while working two jobs every day in order to provide for her children.
She received her GED, and CDL, and become a bus driver in her 50’s. She taught me that if you want something badly enough and are willing to work hard for it then the world has no limitations. Know that in this life, change is a constant.
That being the case, one of the best ways to seize opportunities is to constantly strive for self-improvement. You can use this article as a guide for how to seize opportunities, by reading it, learning from it, and applying its ideas in your own life.
“You must have the courage to trust your instincts and be ready to question what other people don’t. If you do that, you can seize opportunities that others would miss. Believe in yourself, and use everything you can — including the obstacles — to propel you along the road to success. Who knows what you might achieve?” ~ Richard Branson
Opportunities are all around us. The only thing we have to do is to be ready for them. It’s up to us to take the first step and seize the opportunity if we want it. It’s important not to let opportunities slip away because of hesitation and fear of consequences.
Everyone has their own story of how they made it to where they are right now. It’s not always a clear path but it’s one worth taking. Achieving growth is not an easy task to undertake, but it’s worth the struggle and time spent.
There are many ways in which you can help yourself and those around you grow. Use those opportunities instead of letting them slip by you. Opportunity is always in front of you.
You don’t need to wait for it to find you or to be in the right spot at the right time. Opportunity is a mindset that everyone can adopt for themselves. There are five steps that anyone can follow in order to seize opportunities in life:
1) Develop a growth mindset
2) Stay open-minded and learn continuously
3) Refocus your priorities
4) Identify your strengths and improve on them
5) Learn how to say ‘no’
Innovation is an integral part of seizing opportunities in life. However, it’s not enough to just innovate and be innovative. In order to seize opportunities, we should also be aware of the risks and rewards associated with innovation.
Opportunities are often disguised as pitfalls and only through awareness will we be able to discern them before they become too late.
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This post was previously published on Science For Life.
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You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
Escape the Act Like a Man Box | What We Talk About When We Talk About Men | Why I Don’t Want to Talk About Race | The First Myth of the Patriarchy: The Acorn on the Pillow |
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