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“To get something you never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.” ~Unknown

We have all heard the stories about the person who is “in the right place at the right time.” We have those friends or a mortal nemesis that walk into the perfect job or achieve the right promotion; they get awarded the best projects and positions with what would seem without effort. How do they do that?

It’s not destiny, it’s not fate, it’s not even luck.

I believe opportunists to be visionaries and idealists: they paint a portrait of what they want the world to be in the future, and then strive to make it happen.

What is an opportunist? A person who adapts one’s actions to take advantage of opportunities and circumstances.

Visionaries or Just Lucky?

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built the first affordable, easy to use computer. Jobs had the idea and Wozniak built it.

The components already existed; they only put them together.

Then came the Macintosh. They saw it, visualized it and then worked hard. Again, it was a new arrangement, rather than something completely original. Next, came the iMac, the iPod, iTunes, the iPhone, and the iPad:

These guys’… opportunists or just plain old lucky?

Why Bother

Do it for the possibility. The possibility that if you make one minor change you may set the stage for major self-realization.

The truth is that opportunities & possibilities are all around you, always within your reach. You may not be able to quit your job or develop new skills over night, but every day contains within it countless opportunities, all dictated by the day-to-day choices you make.

People who enjoy consistent success know what it takes to make great opportunities happen.

Change a few habits and people might be wondering how you too get so many opportunities.

Some of those day-to-day choices may seem insignificant when you face them; they’re only the little things, after all.

From now, choose differently or stay in your comfort zone.

Luck?

You need strategy, simply stated, strategy is a realistic plan to move forward by taking advantage of the opportunities that suit your unique abilities.

It’s a matter of having control. It takes time and attention.

Want to Make Good Things Happen for You?

Here are six habits that make great opportunities happen. Remember, ignore your fears, focus on the process and learn new things.

1. Pay Attention – value inquisitiveness and collect intelligence. People who notice things know more than people who don’t. Make a habit of interacting and noticing, listen carefully to others.

Develop a habit of paying attention. You’ll grow as a person and you’ll become a natural resource to the people who work with you. It will become natural for them to think of you when new opportunities happen.

Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

2. What You Do is Important – No matter how dull, uninteresting, or seemingly useless the assignment, assume its all working towards a higher purpose. Bring your best talents and most dedicated attitude to it.

What you think, act and say changes how you feel and what you do. People will respond to the importance you place on the work that you’re executing.

Develop a habit of honoring your work.

3. Be Aware, You can Influence – The way you look, your smile (or not), the way you speak, each causes a response in everyone you engage.

Develop a habit of considering how your actions affect the people around you.

Survey and know your surroundings, conveniently appear in all the right places.

Be around the right people and ask real questions not just any questions.

4. Imagine Opportunities Everywhere – Look for interests, ideas and trends that match your curiosities and your skill set.

Manipulate ideas to become uniquely yours, develop a habit of looking at everything to find how you might improve it; always be in exploration mode, be interested, hunt for new opportunities, experience change.

Choose the opportunities that benefit other people and they will support your offer to take advantage of an opportunity.

5. Become a Magnet – Be big-hearted, offer your help and guidance, this builds rapport.

Be on alert for the tiniest ways to match your best work with what the people around you might be doing.

Develop a habit of finding ways to connect with people, processes and business opportunities.

6. Decide, Plan, Act, Own – When an opportunity is set before you, don’t hesitate.

Carry out the plans and prepare to adjust the path, should the situation be required.

Stay in the moment

Your objectives should be to enhance your ability to recognize opportunity and increase your ability to create and capitalize on it.

So if you want to be the lucky someone, you can make great opportunities happen, by focusing on and develop the six habits that will get you `seeing` opportunities.

The Key

There’s a calm splendor in a `never arriving at your destination`, philosophy – it take the pressure off, and makes all possibilities endless.

Your success doesn’t depend on one thing in particular — it depends on the sum of millions of small things, now; and at any moment.

Allow yourself to explore, open up entire fields of possibility that you never knew existed.

‘What if I told you that you don’t necessarily need to know the end goal in order to start’?

Seeing opportunities could fall into any of the three key areas of PROBLEM, PLAN or PERSEVERE. Whichever phase you are in, the moral of the story here is to effectively Step IN and find opportunities, always keep your eyes open!

Until next time.