Opportunities don’t show up by magic and they don’t disappear by magic, ok? Get rid of that thought. They show up to those who seem prepared, but only those who are truly prepared can take advantage of them. That is because opportunities are driven by people. What to you seems like an opportunity to buy a house or make an investment, is driven by the desire of another party to sell or attract money. People have limited time, so they can’t wait for you, endlessly. Just like in relations.

Be prepared

There is a saying stating that it’s better to be prepared and not have any opportunity, than for opportunities to find you unprepared. What does being prepared mean? Well, it depends on the chance you are waiting for. If you keep on ruminating over a chance to get a job as ….. [fill in the dots with whatever you like] but you don’t have any skills built for that role, you’ll obviously not get it. Was that a missed chance? No. You weren’t ready and because you didn’t prepare, it all stopped at ‘wishful thinking’.

In a way, website cookies bring opportunity to you, because you seem prepared. If you search daily for car deals or tell your friends you want to buy a car, what happens next? You’ll start to hear more about car deals! Statistically, once you’ve viewed dozens of deals, at least 1 or 2 will qualify as great deals. If however, you don’t have any money in your account to make a purchase, that was just wishful thinking.

Why opportunity doesn’t come back

It’s because declining it, builds a reputation for you. Inaction is also a form of declining. By not doing anything, you’ve basically decided to not pursue a chance you had.

I have a friend, whom I’ve presented with different opportunities, mainly because I know he’s a trustworthy person and it pays back to help. He wasn’t ready to experience new approaches to things, because he rarely stepped out of his bubble. He was basically unprepared. My time is limited, so I can’t wait for him to react, nor waste future occasions trying to convince him, therefore I will not approach him anymore. He built a reputation as an overthinker and undecided person. While as a friend, I can accept him as he is, without judging, I know I can’t make plans with him.

Reverse the mechanism in 4 steps

To increase the chances of opportunities showing up for you, do this: focus, prepare, make your intentions known and act!

Focus on the opportunity

Once you are set on a goal, you will also spot easier the signs or chances you’ve been waiting for. It’s not magic, it’s how the brain works.  Can you tell me now, without looking around, how many red objects (or having this colour in them) are there around you? No, you can’t or at least can’t tell for sure. Ok, now look around for 30 seconds and look around for objects containing the colour red. Unavoidably you’ve found more. Did the room change? No. What changed then? Your focus. For only 30 seconds. That’s how you spot opportunities: you actively look for them.

Prepare for the opportunity

Normally we’re not looking for coloured objects around, we’re looking for deals, romantic relations, jobs, investments and so on. The meaning of being prepared can vary from being groomed, acting right, solving your issues, to building skills or making savings.

Make your intentions known

You don’t have to be the only one looking for your chance. Ask others to push luck in front of you. Make your intentions known. If I would tell all my friends now: ‘Guys, look, I need a good bargain to go in  X country. Let me know if you hear anything”, there’s a good chance one or two people will call back in a week or so and ask me if I’m still interested. Same thing happens when you post on social media asking your friends to help with something.

Act on the opportunity

Last thing left to do is of course to ACT. If you don’t act, all the rest doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve explained above the effect on your reputation and how lack of action will drive away further chances that could cross your path. Action and learning by doing are more effective than a hundred plans. Even if you fail, do you know what people will call you? “Someone with experience”.

So, just go for it!

If you have enjoyed reading this or know someone who needs to hear all this, please go ahead and share it with your friends. Thank you!