Spot And Seize

sarah.tan@leaderonomics.com

Opportunity is a slippery thing that has to be chased tirelessly to be seized, save for the lucky few who have had it come knocking at their door. In order to do so, we need to exercise constant vigilance and open-mindedness.

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” – Milton Berle

By being receptive and welcoming to new ideas, we increase our chances of bumping into its best friend, opportunity. But just like getting ready for work every day, we need to put on the right clothes before leaving the house.

“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” – Bobby Unser

Below are a few pieces of “clothes” we should put on before stepping out to look for opportunity.

The underwear of curiosity

Evan Spiegel’s curiosity about apps that could permanently delete any form of messages led him to notice the available gap in the market. The popular phone application, Snapchat, is his proof of success brought on by inquisitiveness.

Be curious and ask questions like why? And why not? This may bring you to discover a niche that you can fill.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney

The sunglasses of perspective

Some people see the glass half empty whilst others see it half full. Research has shown that optimists end up happier, healthier and wealthier compared to pessimists.

Something even better than the optimist’s view, however, would be the ability to view the glass from everyone’s eyes. This expansion in our view aids us in improving our understanding of the situations that we face.

“A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have.” – Steve Jobs

The cap of information

Just as we should be curious, we should ensure to feed our curiosity – the right way. Quoting Daniel J. Boorstin,

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”

Feeding ourselves with accurate information of news and events around the world increases the number of dots available for our connecting.

The shoes of bravery

There is a great difference between someone who dreams and someone who lives his dreams. We may be curious, informed and have clear understanding, yet afraid. This fear most probably stems from a lack of confidence. Remind yourself that fear may hinder our growth.

Just as being informed can be redundant if not fueled by curiosity, the best opportunities are more likely to be spotted by those who are self-aware and seeking to improve themselves.

I hope this section has helped prepare you to read the further articles with reflection and a desire to seize the ever elusive opportunities that will come your way.

“It’s when ordinary people rise above the expectations and seize the opportunity that milestones truly are reached.” – Mike Huckabee

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