Opportunities Don't Happen - You Create Them

We often talk about opportunity as though it is something that happens to other people. Someone is in the right place at the right time. They meet the right person. They get the lucky break. They are offered the opportunity that changes everything. And then we look at our own lives and wonder why nothing seems to happen. But maybe we have misunderstood what an opportunity really is.

Opportunities don't always arrive. Sometimes you have to create them. That means being prepared to do something rather than waiting for something to happen. It means making the phone call, asking the question, introducing yourself, learning a new skill or taking a chance on an idea that has been sitting in your head for months.

You cannot control whether somebody says yes. You can control whether you ask. You cannot guarantee that a new idea will work. You can give yourself the opportunity to find out.

This is where positive thinking becomes practical. It isn't about sitting back and imagining success until success appears at your door. Thinking creates possibility; action gives that possibility somewhere to go.

Sometimes we don't create opportunities because we are frightened of what might happen. We worry about rejection, failure or looking foolish. So we do nothing and call it being realistic. But there is nothing realistic about allowing fear to make every decision for you.

You are not broken. You may simply be waiting for permission that nobody else is going to give you. So stop waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Create a reason for someone to notice you. Create something worth offering. Create a conversation. Create a possibility.

Take the first step and see what happens. Because your next opportunity may not be something that happens to you. It may be something you create.