When An Opportunity Arises, Take It

I was reading the Wallace D Wattles book,” Promote Yourself” yesterday and this line really stood out.

If you are not familiar with Wallace D. Wattles, he wrote the book, “The Science of Getting Rich” over 100 years ago and is still quoted today for the wisdom available in his books. You can download a copy of both books for free at www.scienceofgettingrich.net.

Taking an opportunity when it arises may seem obvious, yet I see the opposite every day.

People miss the opportunity right in front of them because they don’t recognize it for what it is. A chance to connect, to be seen and open the door to something else.

I am currently the president of the local chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors. Part of the responsibilities include, hosting a monthly meeting where members and guests come together to learn and network. During these meetings someone from the group leads the flag salute as we say the pledge of allegiance and another person does an inspiration.

About a week before the meeting I look to see who is coming and call to ask if they would do either of these. It’s amazing how many people say no.

An opportunity was presented and they didn’t take it.

Now you might be thinking, it’s the pledge of allegiance, no big deal. Maybe it’s not a worthwhile opportunity. But each time you participate and stand up to be seen you are taking advantage of an opportunity and never know where it will lead.

My involvement, which started very small, has included referrals, opportunities to speak to groups that I would not have otherwise had access to, wonderful friendships and many other things.  All because I said yes to an opportunity and leveraged it to build relationships.

There have been many things in my life that have started out small and turned into something huge. The trick is that you can never tell in the beginning how things are going to turn out.

If you have been following my posts for any period of time you know that I am all about action and leverage to create success. When you don’t take advantage of the opportunity in front of you, you are not taking action. When you don’t leverage that action you are making things harder for yourself because now you need to find more ways to fit things into your already overflowing schedule .

For the next week make a commitment to say yes to the opportunities that come up, leverage them and trust that it will lead to something wonderful.

Note: if you are not sure what counts as an opportunity, it’s EVERYTHING.

• Walking your kids to school is an opportunity to connect with them without the typical distractions. The walking is the action. The leverage is engaging them in conversation about what is going on with them.

• Calling a client is an opportunity to LISTEN and find a way to add value. The calling is the action, the leverage is finding some way to follow up that is meaningful to them.

• Saying yes to something outside of your comfort zone is an opportunity to grow and make room for something new. Saying yes is the action. Making a point to connect with someone new and build a relationship is the leverage.

The interesting thing about life and success is that it isn’t linear. You never know how things are going to show up and which opportunities will lead to what you want.

Your job is to have fun, be willing to show up and participate 100%.