Bill Gates is quoted as saying “there has never been a time like the present, with so many opportunities”. It’s almost like the California gold rush, only its so much bigger, because of the global reach of the Internet and other global technologies. The possibilities are endless.

Everybody is “looking” for opportunities, but very see it and even fewer exploit it. There’s the now famous story of the two men who visited India together. Upon their arrival in India one of the men was so struck and rather appalled by the abject poverty of the masses. His companion however, saw something else.

He saw an opportunity, an opportunity to shoe millions of feet and make himself a fortune in the process.

This man is said to have gone on and established a shoe company which produced millions of shoes and made him a very wealthy man.

There are thousands of other similar stories, of people who turned what seemed to be somebody’s problem into a fortune, including the story of South African born Hotel magnate Sol Kerzner.

Kerzner turned an Island in the Bahamas which was considered only good enough to be used as a rubbish dump, into what is today known as the resort Island, Atlantis.

Opportunities come disguised in many forms and shapes. They may come disguised as hard work, hardships, difficulties
and obstacles. When you see them as opportunities and take them, who knows where you may end up?

Consider this: You may say I’m not going to knock on that door, because I don’t like knocking on doors. The person opening that door may give you the big break you have been looking for, but you may just have missed it forever. After allhow could you have guessed? That’s right! You couldn’t have.

Ever heard someone say, “It was a blessing in disguise”?

There are opportunities to make money, opportunities for happiness but there are also opportunities for personal growth. Opportunities to discover what you are capable of, to turn weaknesses into strengths. Oportunities to help others and help yourself in the process. There are opportunities to bless and be blessed in return.

Do you see all these opportunities? And if you do, do you take them? Or are you like those people who are only looking for that one big opportunity that will turn you into an instant millionaire.

Sun Tzu puts it so eloquently when he says, “opportunities multiply as they are seized”. People who disregard all other opportunity, while waiting for that one big opportunity don’t know what they are missing. They may in fact be missing the big opportunity itself, because you never know where every opportunity may take you, if you embrace it.

However there’s one thing I know, won’t get you anywhere. And that is sitting in your comfort chair, trying to figure out which is opportunity and which is not.

So, here is my advice, try everything and test everything. So what, if you failed or if things didn’t work out. You have would have learned at least one thing. That particular venture isn’t worthwhile or the method doesn’t work. Don’t allow your own cynicism or that of other people rob you of what may potentially be your biggest and best opportunity.