"Yikes! I See My Opportunity. Now What?"

In my post from May 26, 2013, I discussed how to prepare for an opportunity,even when you don't know what it is yet...or where it is...or when it's coming.  That's a pretty tall order, but it's worth your investment of time.

So, this post is the answer the next question: "I found it!  Now what do I do? First, I congratulate you on your preparations and your ability to observe! 

"Opportunity is often difficult to recognize; we usually expect it to beckon us with beepers and billboards."  ~~William Arthur Ward

Well, Mr. Ward was right; there are no beepers and billboards.  We just have to believe it's there somewhere, in some form. In the post from 5/26/13, I gave you suggestions for growing your roots in preparation for your success when it's time to spread your wings!

Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/schuddel 

Turn your awareness level up to "high," because opportunities are waiting quietly in lots of different places.  The best one for you could be surrounded by other opportunities....

          Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/hidesy 

Or you may find your opportunity lurking under a problem....

Photo (c) iStockphotos.com/nobiggie       

Your opportunity may be in broad terms, and you'll need to narrow it down....

Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/zimmytws

Or maybe it'll show up in a dream....

              Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/frentusha 

You may be confused; "O.K., now how do I know the opportunity I'm going with is the real deal?"  

There are two keys that need to be present together, and together they usually indicate that you have chosen well.  They are:

excitement and fear.

                                                                             

   Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/AlexKalina      

To say that's a bit unnerving is an understatement, I know.  But I think Anais Nin was right when she said, "It's less painful to bloom than to try to stay in a bud." 

Now, if I may mix in one more metaphor, I will quote the songwriters, Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers:

"Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance...."

I hope you will, too....

Susan

The Great-Life Advocate (TM)

Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/marekuliasz 


Would you like to explore coaching with me in a complimentary session?

Being coached is a "real time," personalized experience!

Please email me to set up your tele-session where we can decide if we'd work well together.

No string attached...no pressure.  That's just not the way I do things!

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Curious Minds Want to Know....

We all love finding creative answers to our questions, but if you've been mulling over the same issues for a long time, here's something to try!

Coach Dave Buck, CEO of CoachVille (which is where I turn for professional development), has a simple formula to help you with these.  He says to ask yourself, "What would be a better question?"

If you give it a try, you'll see how it gives you a whole new perspective on the issue when you ask the new question. And I think it's fun!

Please play with this idea, and post a comment about your experience with it.

We can all learn so much from each other as a more interactive community here at creative4life. Thank you, dear readers!

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Here are Two Opportunities to Watch Me in Action on the "Crazy Coaching Friday" Show!

This show, which is produced by CoachVille, via Google+ Hangout, features a panel of coaches.  It's live and unscripted, fun, and provocative!
And you don't have to be a coach to enjoy it and learn from it.

Here's the link for You Tube from the first time I was on the show...Episode #013 on June 7, 2013:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvyo7UNU_s0&feature=c4-feed-u 


On this Friday, August 2, I'll be on the panel again, and you'll be able to find it on the same You Tube channel.

If you'd like to watch it live or recorded later on CoachVille, please see the time and instructions on my previous post from 6/6/13.

Come laugh and learn with us!

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

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

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

Would you like to set up a complimentary exploratory interview with me?

Being coached is a "real time," customized experience!

Please email me to set up a tele-session where we can decide if we'd work well together in a coaching partnership!

No strings attached...no pressure.  That's just not my style!

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Which of these three words is most provocative to you?

Courage         Creativity        Gratitude

You're welcome to share why in the comments section; just click below!

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

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

When Opportunity Knocks....

Will you have the flexibility to turn on a dime when opportunity knocks? Check your supplies of these resources:

• Time
• Space
• Energy
• Attention
• Enthusiasm
• Clear-Headedness
• Money
• Personal Boundaries
• Self-Confidence
• Self-Esteem
• Willingness to Move Forward Through Fear
• Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Health
• Tolerance for Ambiguity
• Environmental Support Systems, Including People
• Awareness of Opportunities
• Patience
• Inner-Directedness, for Deflecting Nay-Sayers and Stereotypes

I suggest that you print this list out and review it often, so you are always prepared when great opportunities come along. If you can think of more resources that I missed, please add them in the comments section!

Thanks,

Susan

P.S. To those in the greater Philadelphia, PA, area: I'll be leading an Advanced Journaling Workshop on Sunday, May 4, from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Please email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com for more details.

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

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