How do you respond to opportunity? What opportunities have you passed up, or grabbed onto? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.
“Constraints can unwittingly open so many doors.”
Image from Unsplash by Robert Ruggiero
For the weekend or occasional golfer, a mulligan is something many players covet.
It’s an opportunity, usually on both the front and back 9’s, to have a do-over on a whiff or missed hit that could sink a decent round. Even if it is never used by a player, they sure appreciate the fact that it’s there just in case.
We all experience many errant shots in life where things go out of bounds and miss their targets. These events often cascade into negative spirals of thinking, and we give up too soon.
EXERCISE:
Give yourself another chance to do better with your next shot. With this personal permission and practice, don’t be surprised if you start shooting some of the best scores of your life.
Image from Unsplash by Jeremy Bishop
According to the U.S. Geologic Survey, there are over 332 million cubic miles of water on our planet.
Of this vast volume of water, NOAA’s National Geophysical Data Center estimates that 321 million cubic miles are in our oceans.
Waves on water are caused primarily by wind. If you’ve ever been on a boat or at the beach you’ve surely seen and felt their power.
EXERCISE:
What winds of change have you experienced over the past several years?
How have you embraced the abundance of opportunities all around you?
What support structures are available to help you travel toward new horizons?
Image from Unsplash by San Sahil
Did you know that the moon only shows us one of its sides? Not until we sent spacecraft and men to orbit our neighbor did we see its other side.
Perhaps this is wise council for each of us as well. Being our true selves and showing the world who we are with all our impact craters may not be such a bad thing.
The moon has been tugging on us for billions of years. We were so fascinated by its pull we decided to visit it in the 60’s and early 70’s, and plan to return in the coming years.
EXERCISE:
How can living true to your nature—even if it makes a few waves—attract the people and opportunities you most desire?
Image from Unsplash by Brett Jordan
No one likes to be criticized and judged. We like the way we are doing our lives and anyone who disapproves is clearly wrong!
Oops! What just happened? How can it be that we, too, may be just as critical of others, and they don’t care for it very much either?
What if instead of blocking this feedback and defending our positions, we simply paused to consider their perspective?
What would happen if we actually looked for the potential value in what was being said?
How might new ways of looking at ourselves create new opportunities for growth and self-improvement?
EXERCISE:
How would slowing down for the seemingly critical speed bumps offered by others make your travel through life smoother?
How might the ideas that are shared actually fit if you “try them on” for size?
If you still find them too tight, loose, itchy, or the wrong color, you can take them off.
How have you and the world around you been jarred in unexpected ways these past few years?
How have these various events been both crises and opportunities at the same time?
Where and how have you been awakened and opened to your attendant spirit? How and in what ways can you move forward given this source of strength at your disposal?
How might you offer or seek assistance to and from others in your various communities?
How can we better tap into our collective attendant spirits to recover our footing and balance?
Image from Unsplash by Shane Rounce
Countless doors are closing in response to the global pandemic. To what extent have these efforts to contain and combat this crisis impacted your professional world?
What obstacles are in the way of you living life and conducting business as usual?
In what ways have you and your communities been forced to find other means of pursuing and achieving the outcomes you desire? In what way are closed doors forcing you outside your comfort zone, to see alternative open gates of wider opportunity?
Consider discussing today’s quote with members of your work and personal communities, to discover what new gates you can open together.
How do you respond to opportunity? What opportunities have you passed up, or grabbed onto? Here are a few opportunity-related posts you may have missed.
“Your big opportunity may be right where you are now.”
Image from Amazon
Someday is not a Day in the Week: 10 Hacks to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life, is Sam Horn’s newest book.
Sam is one of the reasons my book, The Quotable Coach – Daily Nuggets of Practical Wisdom, became a reality.
In 2013, I had the opportunity to spend two full days in her home, along with a dozen other lucky – or shall I say, committed – individuals who wanted to launch special projects and not wait for “someday.”
Her many personal stories and experiences fully demonstrate, and will inspire you to seize each day as precious moments not to be missed.
Consider watching Sam’s TEDx South Lake Tahoe talk. What one dream have you been putting off for “someday” that you will act upon today?
For most of my life, I have been fascinated by the subject of personal and professional success.
I’ve read hundreds of books, attended dozens of seminars and conferences, and can hardly count the number of blog posts, podcasts, and TED talks I’ve explored.
In his book, Barking Up the Wrong Tree, Eric Barker digs into the science of success, to mess a bit with the conventional and unconventional wisdom on this subject.
One seemingly universal tenet of success does, however, point to the idea of taking massive action and trying many things along the way to stir up far more possibilities and opportunities to pursue.
To what degree are you waiting or being too passive, hoping for an opportunity to reveal itself?
Where would taking far more action and trying many more things help you bark up and climb the right trees for you?