Opportunities or bust?

Opportunity knocks on your door but once, we’re told. So how do you know when it’s the right opportunity for you? How do you know if you should take it or let it pass?

I’ve had so many opportunities pass me by. I let those pass, for one or more reasons: the time wasn’t right, the economy wasn’t doing very well, and I had more important things to do. And then the familiar feeling would grip me. Maybe you’re familiar with it too – the feeling of regret.

And then there are those rare moments when an opportunity came, and I responded in the positive; I grabbed it! It was really scary.

I remember being offered the opportunity to invest and host the very first Dr. John C. Maxwell Conference in our country some eight years ago. The investment was great; I was at the lowest point of my life – I had to leave a business I helped started, and was deprived of commissions, profits and earnings – so I had to sell a piece of property. And I bet all the money in this venture. And it paid off! We filled Araneta Coliseum up to the bleachers section and the PICC Convention Hall the next day with people eager to learn leadership lessons.

When the license to the training program was offered to our team, again, I grabbed the opportunity, which made me a professional business trainer and speaker. From an entrepreneur in the garments industry, I shifted careers and focused on public speaking and corporate training. It was a risk I took, but it paid off!

So how would you know whether an opportunity is one you should grab or one you may let go?

If you’re chasing an opportunity, perhaps you’re not ready for it. Because when opportunity comes, you either just grab it or you let it go. If you let it go, it may mean two things:

1. You’re not ready for it.

2. You weren’t paying attention.

A lot of groundwork is needed in order to prepare you for opportunity. Due diligence, study, building a network, establishing credibility, delivering results, deepening client relationship – these are hard work, and require an enormous amount of preparation and time. But these will make one ready for opportunities that would come his way.

Many of us go through life feeling down and depressed because we see the opportunities others get and are deprived us. But to feel down and depressed, and do nothing wouldn’t attract the opportunities to come. One salesman complained, “Boss, we can’t get the account and we can’t improve our sales because I’ve called up three different prospects, and they all complained that our product isn’t good enough. We need to change the product, we need to improve on the features, we need a different business plan.”

Is that right? If this person were talking to me, I would’ve told him, “You want me to change my business, and you’ve promoted yourself into becoming my marketing consultant, just because you talked to three people? Why not make it 300 so we can see if there’s any validity to your claims? Maybe if you work harder and make more calls, you would have more opportunities!”

Inaction will always find blame convenient. Opportunities come when one does the groundwork and is prepared. If you want more opportunities to come, work more and work excellently on what you have right now.

(Leadership skills are very much life skills. Spend two whole days with Francis Kong discovering the beauty of both on Sept. 12-13 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries, contact Inspire at 09158055910, or call 632-6310912 for details.)