This blog is written and dedicated to my Dad, who taught me all things are possible in life. Thank you for teaching me the true meaning of opportunity.
In every day, there are 1,440 minutes. That means we have 1,440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact. Will we choose to look at it as an opportunity or not?
So often in the workplace, I see opportunities thrown away. We live in a world where we take things for granted. We are so accustomed to having it the easy way, we forget how hard it can be.
We are dealt one hand of cards. How we play that hand is completely up to us.
I want you all to take a step back, and think hard. Think of the last opportunity we had and what we did with it. Did we approach it with the same zest that we did our first day? Or did we think of all the negatives first?
This is a common trend for all us as humans. We fall into a ‘deck’ of dissatisfaction. Everyone and everything is out to get us. If it is not the perfect situation, it is no longer an opportunity. We take it for granted and lose all the value it could have had.
Why does this happen? It is simple. As time goes on we start to place less value on the opportunities that come our way. By doing so we start living a life of selfishness. The thing is anyone can close an easy deal, any accountant can input easy numbers, any mechanic can do a basic oil change.
The thing is though, life is not made of “easy” opportunities. It’s 80% of the hard, mixed with the 20% easy. But in the 80% lies the vast majority of opportunity. That 80%, right there, folks, is where you have a chance to show off your skills, to play your hand, using the experience and instinct you have been learning all along. It’s easy to play a hand stacked with aces, but it takes skill to bring in the chips with a pair of deuces.
When we become too focused on ourselves and fold, rather than play, we lose our opportunity to use finesse to win. We miss 80% of the play that contains great opportunities.
One of the greatest salespersons I know, my dad told me he never heard the word “No.” He said, “All I hear is ‘not yet.” He looked at this as one step closer to the sale and would keep prying till he closed it. He looked at every one of his appointments as an opportunity. His cards, he would make the best of no matter what. With this mindset, he raised my family and made me the man I am today. Words cannot describe the influence he has had on me in my growth as an adult.
So how do we adopt this ‘opportunity’ mindset? It is simple.
Take ourselves back to the first day of the job and find that PASSION we had. I don’t care if it takes days to find, FIND IT and DO NOT let it go. What made us look at everything as an opportunity? It was that fresh clean slate not corrupted by years of complacency. It was that eagerness to achieve that goal we never thought we could. It was the openness to feedback and coaching.
It is so easy. We just have to be open to rediscovery. Open to taking a step back to soul-search and realize we have it made. Opportunity is at our fingertips and we have been slapping it in the face 1,440 times a day.
So, take this Monday night and find the opportunity in our lives to take us to the next level. Be hard on yourself.
I promise you, by doing so it will lead to a more meaningful life. It will take a life that is at floating at 20%, and skyrocket it closer to an unlimited ceiling.
You have been handed a pair of deuces…..
What will you do?
Happy days! #rigiout
Comments