Opportunity - Your Lucky Break

Today’s Word is Opportunity

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” - Seneca

Do you believe in luck? Do you secretly feel that the success achieved by others can be chalked up to them being in the right place, at the right time? Do you believe you are unlucky? The idea of luck can be a very limiting and self-defeating paradigm. To endorse luck as a component of success places the likelihood of your achievements and happiness into the forces of the cosmos, onto a god or into the hands of fate and whether you are conscious of it or not, it is disempowering you. How can you possibly improve or change your life if you are counting on some unseen force? In Webster’s Dictionary opportunity is defined as, “a chance for advancement, progress or profit." I believe in opportunity and I believe you call these chances to yourself through your thoughts, actions and responses to the circumstances in your life.

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." - Albert Einstein

Oh, I have believed in luck – when things were not going my way. It allowed me to avoid accountability for the state of affairs I was currently living in. I could be a victim of some cosmic alignment that meant I was to receive only a certain amount of “luck” or opportunity. When I looked at my circumstances from a different vantage point, I realized that I was not lucky or unlucky, I was simply not seeing or embracing the opportunity, “a chance for advancement, progress or profit", that was placed in my path. It is interesting to me that the Chinese character for the word opportunity is a combination of the symbol for crisis and the symbol for change. Contained within any crisis is the possibility of advancement and change, but only if you are willing to look the problem in the eyes and ask questions: What can this challenge teach you? What possibilities exist that did not exist previously? Trust me, asking why other people are luckier does not help – been there, done that and wasted a lot of time missing the opportunity contained within the challenges. The definition does not say it will always be fun or easy or optimal; it is simply an option you have called to yourself through your beliefs, actions and responses. It is providing you with a chance to right the ship and change course. As a life coach, one of the things I do is to help my clients see the possibilities contained within their challenges and to embrace the opportunities they may be missing.

"Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along." ~Hugh Allen

Embracing the opportunities requires self-awareness and builds on our discussion of the word no; saying no to say yes. As you free up time and space and become increasing clear of your priorities, yes is an option. The next step is to move from an option, to a response and then finally an action. If you feel that you are not being presented with any choices that speak to you or that feel advantageous, maybe what you think you want and what you believe you can have are at odds? Maybe the F word, fear has grabbed a hold and you have forgotten your own capabilities? Maybe you are waiting for the large, life changing opportunities and you are missing the possibilities that exist currently? Saying yes to smaller, seemingly insignificant prospects is a springboard for the larger opportunities. Saying yes to the tasks and people that make you feel stronger and more engaged, sends a message that these are the types of opportunities you want and desire. You create your opportunities by asking for them. You are continually creating the circumstances in your life by where you place your time and attention, what you think about and how you respond. Respond to all the events in your life with a desire to see and embrace the chance for advancement and growth contained within. Take back the power previously given to the unseen and the cosmos by prioritizing, seeing and then embracing the opportunities in the moment.

Today Ask Yourself:

1. What opportunities lie within the challenges you are facing?

2. Where in your life have you been closing the door on opportunities that you truly desire?What is getting in the way? Fear? Time?

3. If you were lucky, what would you bring into your life? What steps could you take to make it happen?

If you would like to turn your luck around please contact me at onpurposelifecoaching@hotmail.com and we will work together to see all the opportunities in your life.