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THE PSYCHOLOGY OF OPPORTUNITIES

By | GORDON CURTIS

What role does luck play in opportunity, and do those that are successful in life and business just happen to be in the right place at the right time?

Recognising an opportunity is probably five per cent being in the right place at the right time, 25 per cent recognising that as an opportunity, and 70 per cent working extremely hard, overcoming obstacles, and being persistent in your dedication and passion in working towards your goals.

The dictionary definition of opportunity is: ‘a time or set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.’ Here’s the rub – if your mindset is not geared into recognising those opportunities, then they can pass you by without even you realising it.

If your thinking is muddled by the negative stories that are put out by the press, or because you have been distracted by other things, then the best opportunities in the world could be jumping up and down in front of you and you will never realise until it is too late, and your direct competitor jumps in and takes what should (could) have been yours.

A more powerful approach to opportunities is to know how to create your own. We’ve highlighted four key ways that you can clear your mind and know exactly the opportunities that are coming up which take you to the levels of success you dream of, without the risk of self-sabotaging.

  1. Keep calm and plan ahead

Sometimes if you think you’re missing out on something you can start to panic, which immediately narrows your focus even more, so that you miss out on even more. Take a deep breath, step back, and take some perspective on the coming months – then plan accordingly. Recognise those important dates that pepper the annual calendar – Christmas, Easter, Ramadan 2023, national events such as the World Cup, the King’s coronation – all those activities that can unite us on different levels.

  1. Establish your own position and worth

Within this landscape, know who you are, what you offer, and what sets you apart from those around you. Even if you are offering nothing amazingly different, what does set you apart is the fact that it is YOU who is doing it. So recognise and be proud of that.

  1. Don’t force it

There are two types of desperation. There is point at which you find yourself in a desperate situation – maybe you have run out of money, out of chances, you’re at the last chance saloon facing a cliff edge. Sometimes this state of desperation is where the magic happens and everything that you have worked so hard for starts to come together. As the actor Jim Carrey once said; “Desperation is a necessary ingredient to learning anything, or creating anything. Period. If you ain’t desperate at some point, you ain’t interesting.”

The second type of desperation is the unattractive kind. It’s the kind that can make you blind to what’s underneath your nose in a bid to reach for the stars. It’s the kind that can turn people away from you even though you are offering exactly what they need.

  1. Be decisive and step out of your comfort zone

This takes confidence and an innate belief in who you are and what you have to offer. It takes a strong mindset and thick skin, but if you are faced with an opportunity there is a reason why you have arrived at that point at that time. Interestingly some drop off at this precise point purely because they have a sudden loss of confidence in their ability to deliver as promised. Know you can! Then prove it!

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