Opportunity knocks- are you listening?

We are all familiar with needing to be prepared for unexpected bad things happening. Earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, weather related flooding, etc. We make up emergency kits, have plans of who to call and where to go. And in cases of personal emergencies, weather health related or otherwise, we make plans.

But what about the unexpected good? Are we prepared to take advantage of good fortune- especially opportunities for us to expand our horizons and try new things? There is a chance we may miss out on those opportunities if aren't prepared. How do we prepare? I have a 5-point plan.

One, we must know ourselves and our capacity to take advantage of opportunities. How much time and energy do we have at our disposal. How much give room do we have in our schedules? Could we realistically take on a new project? Two, what kind of skills and experience do we have to tackle a project.

Three, what is our comfort level and how much do we want to stretch? For instance, if I were offered the opportunity to take a trip to New Zealand, as long as the funds were there I would have no hesitation. However if I were offered, at no cost to me, a chance to skydive, I would refuse. No amount of money would induce me to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. I get my thrills in more sedate ways, though I have friends who would and have 'jumped' at the chance. We all have our own comfort zones.

Closely related to that is 'what do you want to do?" We have our different interests, passions, dreams. Things that appeal to me might not appeal to you. We have to know ourselves in advance so when the opportunities arise we can decide quickly whether or not it is for us. Many things that come our way have no appeal.

And finally we have to remain aware of sources where we might find opportunity. If we know what we are looking for we can direct our attention to those sources. One of my regular activities is Toastmasters and outside of my local club there often come up opportunities to speak in clubs around the country and the world. I have seen many lately and determined that I should make sure I am ready to take advantage of those. 

When opportunity knocks make sure you are ready. Surprises can be positive, you know.