I always say, opportunities are only thus to the prepared. In other wo0rds, an opportunity to drive a bus is not an opportunity to he who has not taken time to prepare a license, while it is an opportunity for a bus conductor, who has already positioned himself in this industry by working in it. He will be considered first.
The first thing one needs to do is to identify the opportunity he or she is preparing for so that he/she will not exert random efforts but rather focus on the end goal. The person needs to create an environment that allows them to be available when the opportunity arrives. This is in line with what I said about branding oneself on social media as well. It is all part of preparation because one may not know yet where their opportunity will emerge from. It may be from a social media contact if they prepare themselves on that platform. Even when the opportunity is realized offline, their behavior on social networks may make the opportunity giver think otherwise.
Before a big opportunity comes there are always smaller opportunities that come up. Treat them with respect and work hard on them, deliver perfectly. The logic is if one cannot deliver on small tasks they likely will not be responsible with bigger tasks that come with bigger opportunities. In fact the little opportunities create a portfolio that may recommend one to be presented with the bigger task. One should do more than they are paid to do, and soon they will be paid more for what they do. Humility is everything when it comes to great opportunities; people with inflated egos are passed on by a lot of opportunities while humble people that are willing to learn and be led before they lead tend to get a lot of opportunities.
Networking is an important part of presenting oneself with opportunities. This is not confined to social media but also one should attend events and join groups and clubs where they may meet up with people in their field at these events the issue of preparedness comes into play; one should have business cards or interactive cd’s of what their brand is about. Remember this brand could be the individual. Chamillionaire (Hip-hop artist, USA) once said that poor means “Passing over opportunities repeatedly”. While this may not apply for all forms of poverty, it sure applies to many people that were born in average homes and had a decent education. Do not allow opportunities to pass from you.
Read a lot of books know what’s going on in current affairs and prepare yourself accordingly. Reading history is a also a good thing, a lot of times history repeats itself. You gain more foresight on what to prepare by reading what others did in similar situations. In our journey to prepare young people that’s why you will find profiles and biographies of people who have made breakthroughs in one area or the other so that you can use that as a template to position yourself for the same success or modify it for better results.
