Today’s post is focused on opportunity! I remember as a child and teenager being told that success is when preparation meets opportunity. I even had a personal example to buttress that point.
When I was studying for my A’levels (which I did in about 8 months), I worked pretty hard (wanted to have a result at least as good as my brother’s and was tired of JAMB’s antics) and believed God for success.
Just before the last day of my exams, an opportunity showed up. It was an opportunity that shifted the focus of my exam from just getting into university to the possibility of attending my dream school – The London School of Economics and Political Science.
It was a scholarship opportunity! I was able to seize it because I had just finished my Cambridge A’levels exams and could use the results when they were released to seek admission in the United Kingdom.
Hence, my easy agreement to the saying preparation plus opportunity is success. 9 years plus down the line, I would like to modify that saying at least from my vantage point.
The experiences of the last 9 years, the people I have met along the way have all made me realise that we actually don’t need to just work hard and wait for opportunity.
We can and should create opportunities…not just for ourselves but even for others.
The next question then is How.
How do I create opportunities?
First – Identify a problem/challenge in your immediate environment
Two – Select the one you can solve
Three – Come up with an approach through which the problem can be solved (strategy, roadmap)
Four – Implement the strategy In trying to solve that problem/challenge, you learn along the way and must be willing to ask for help or collaborate with others.
These days there are also sites like Opportunity Desk that you can regularly visit and apply for academic and job opportunities.
So cheers to no longer sitting around waiting for things to happen! We create the opportunities because the Creator has given us creative abilities to make things happen!