Opportunity: Suit up and Show up...at Your Best

"Dig the well before you are thirsty."

~~Chinese proverb~~

My post called "When Opportunity Knocks..." (April 2008), has been one of my most popular posts.  I'd like to expand that idea in this post with tips on what to do while you're waiting for an opportunity to turn up. 

In the next post, I'll talk about what to do after the opportunity has arrived. 

Photo (c) iStockphoto/Marek Uliasz

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

~~Martin Luther King, Jr.~~ 

So, let's take a look at what we can do to prepare for an opportunity, even when we don't know what it looks like or when it'll show up!  First, we have to accept the facts that we don't know what or when or how..  We need to go with the flow; if we're too precise, we'll interfere with the process. 

On the other hand, we don't want to run after every shiny object.  We each need to ask ourselves this question:

Am I looking for an opportunity in areas that support 

my over-arching goals?

If you're still fuzzy about this, try author Mike Dooley's idea:

"If you don't know what it is you want to do,

keep doing what you're doing, but do it better."

Some of you may pull away from Dooley's idea. you may think, "Why would I do that?  This is the situation I want to get out of!"

Yes, I understand.  But the Universe is looking for someone worthy of the opportunity and appreciative of what he or she already has. 

Also it keeps you out and about where opportunities abound!  I've never heard of anyone jumping up and shouting, "There it is!  Now I know what my opportunity is!"  while watching a television commercial about a new brand of disposable baby diapers. 

Take this waiting time to keep your skills up to date, so you can easily leverage them at a moment's notice.  Continue with your life-long learning in areas that interest you...a new craft, a new sport, or a new language, or another favorite.

Here's a great real-life example of how this works: Many years ago, before Apple, Steve Jobs took a calligraphy class just because he found it to be fascinating.  Years later, he used that experience to make Apple the first company to offer a selection of various fonts on a home computer!  

Remember to keep your soft skills active, also...people skills, intuition, and a great sense of humor, just to mention a few.

Photo (c) iStockphoto/Janne Ahvo

Gather up all the patience you can muster.  Waiting for your opportunity may take longer than you expect.  We don't have the ability to see the opportunity as it's developing, so we must trust the flow of life. 

How you interact with others is another important area to shape up in while you're waiting for the opportunity that has your name on it.  Let others around you know that you're going to be upgrading many aspects of your life in preparation for an opportunity to make an even larger change.  

You may want to consider doing some volunteer work in one or two areas of interest to you.  While you're helping others, you're also meeting new people, and maintaining great people skills.

Photo (c) iStockphoto/Brian Jackson

Networking has similar advantages.  Let your fellow networkers know what your interests are, so they can spread the word for you, and you can be on the look-out for ways you can help them.

Photo (c) iStockphoto/Jacob Wackerhausen

Readers, please weigh in on this one!  If you have suggestions, questions, or experiences, we'd all love to hear them.  If you don't like to write on-line, you can email me privately here.  I'll use your address only to respond to your comments.  I do not share my readers' email addresses.

Remember, next time I'll be writing about what happens after your opportunity shows up.  Your comments to this post will help me direct the next one more specifically to what you want to know!

Thanks,

Susan

The Great-Life Advocate (TM)

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~~Odds and Ends~~

Photo (c) iStockphoto/Denise Kappa

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*** All of Susan's creative4life posts are (c) Susan Cleaver. ***

*** Member of the TriCounty Community Network, at www.tcnetwork.org *** 

The Foundation of Patience

Are you looking to develop more patience with yourself, others, and situations? Here are some qualities and skills to develop and a few tips that will help in creative endeavors and everyday living:


*Compassion When you must deal with someone who is trying your patience, remember that there is a good chance that they are acting out of fear and/or pain or even a temporarily muddled mind due to a chemical imbalance.

Here's what helps me remember to be compassionate: I remember that at the lowest point of my life, I would not have liked anyone to take a mental snapshot of me and then assume that that's how I am all the time! This is especially helpful when you're dealing with people you don't know.

*Flexibility A little forethought can prevent a lot of frustration. Leave extra time for possible delays such as slow lines, traffic, and puppies that piddle on the floor just as you thought you were ready to leave home.

And always have something with you to work on or to entertain yourself when you get detained. If you like to travel light, just a small tablet, a pen, and your cell phone can give you some options. Books on CD are great for in the car!

*Acceptance Cr%p happens! Puppies piddle. Traffic slows. Orders get held up. The person ahead of you in line pays with 98 pennies. Working on the other areas covered in this post will make this one come easier with time.

*Stress Management If you are committed to keeping your base-line stress level under control, the better you'll be at keeping your cool when the pressure is on. Take care of yourself and ASK for help when you need it.

Find ways to relax that work for you. It could be tai chi, Reiki, massage, meditation, or enjoying a hobby. During the "Do What You Love" evening that I mentioned near the end of my last post, I spent the whole three hours doing one 12"-by-12" collage! It was very soothing to me.

*Assertiveness You don't need to be or act angry in order to communicate what you need. It can be done calmly and politely before you lose your patience!

If you have trouble speaking up for yourself and/or saying "NO," there's lots of help out there. How deeply embedded is the problem? Would a book, CD, or coach help, or is it time to find a skilled therapist? Does seeking therapy sound extreme? Not if the problem is interfering with your life!

*Faith Try learning more about the Law of Attraction and the power of intentions, thoughts, words, and feelings. If you relax and believe that wonderful things are on their way to you, you're sending out positive energy that the Universe matches by the Law of Attraction.

*Self-Awareness When you lose patience with yourself, explore your limiting beliefs about yourself. They can lead to conflicting commitments within your own mind that make you feel stuck.

Fear of success is a great example. Maybe one facet of you wants to succeed, but another part of you is afraid you won't be able to handle the responsibilities involved. Both sides are tugging with equal strength while you're losing patience with yourself for "getting nowhere!"

Again, you need to figure out how deep-seated the problem is, and what level of assistance you'll need. If you're used to doing a lot of inner work, journaling about it may be very effective.

Feel free to offer your comments, questions, and experiences around the topic of patience!

Thanks,
Susan

P.S. For details about the Fall Sweep Dig-In Tele-Party on Sept. 22, go to www.seminarannouncer.com and check the September listings for that date. A little accountability and support go a long way! I'm hosting the tele-party as a complimentary service. Questions? Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com.

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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