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I once heard Richard Branson say, “Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.”
As soon as I heard that, I remember thinking “wow, that’s so true.” And that wisdom doesn’t just apply to business opportunities. It applies to all opportunities.
Regardless of whether you’re looking to get ahead in your career, business, academics, or personal life, you will always be presented with fresh opportunities.
But here’s the thing: no matter what you’re after, it’s likely you’ll be presented with several challenges along the way.
Here are some ways to prepare yourself to seize the opportunity of a lifetime from the moment you recognize it.
1. Develop a Clear Vision of What You Want
Imagine if you could have anything your heart desires. Imagine if you could seize the opportunity of a lifetime the moment it presents itself.
Take a moment right now and imagine it.
Because if you do, then you’ll be putting your brain’s Reticular Activating System into function – and that can be the difference between achieving your dreams, or living a life of quiet desperation.
In his book, Getting Things Done, author David Allen talks about how this works:
“When you focus on something–the vacation you’re going to take, the meeting you’re about to go into, the project you want to launch–that focus instantly creates ideas and thought patterns you wouldn’t have had otherwise. Even your physiology will respond to an image in your head as if it were reality.”
Did you catch that last line?
Even your physiology will respond to an image in your head as if it were reality.
Let’s talk a little more about that, shall we?
Back in May 1957, Scientific American published an article describing the discovery of the “reticular formation” at the base of the brain. This is the gateway to your conscious awareness.
In other words, it acts as a “switch” of sorts, to turn on your perceptions of ideas and data. It is the thing that keeps you asleep even when music is playing but wakes you up if a special baby cries in another room.
Your brain has a search function, just like your computer does.
But your brain’s search function is even better. It’s programmed by what you focus on, what you identify with, and what you believe in. It notices things and opportunities that are your current beliefs and focus.
For example, if you’re an architect, you’re more likely to notice the square footage and design of buildings. If you work in shoe sales, you’ll probably notice the details and the degree of craftsmanship of a person’s shoes when you meet them.
Take a moment to close your eyes for ten seconds and focus on nothing but the color red, and then just glance around your environment. If there’s any red at all, even if it’s a little bit, you’ll notice it!
That’s your reticular activating system at work. And you’ll need to keep it sharp if you want to seize any potential opportunities as they arise.
The lesson here is this: develop a clear mental picture of what you want. Keep that vision in mind and imagine it regularly. This will prime your mind to stay on the lookout for opportunities that can help you bring that vision to reality.
2. Set Goals
Once you’ve developed a mental picture of what you want or what an ideal opportunity may look like, it’s time to commit that vision to paper.
In other words, it’s time to set some written goals: How to Use SMART Goal to Become Highly Successful in Life
And once you set those goals, you’ll want to make sure you review them regularly to remind your brain what you’re looking for.
Your brain operates in terms of goals and results. Once you give it a clear goal to achieve, it automatically begins to look for ways to help you achieve it.
Once you have a goal, your brain looks for different opportunities to help you bring it to life. It looks for actions you can take or ideas that might help you achieve a given goal.
So, grab some paper, and write down exactly what you want and why you want it.
3. Take Consistent Action
Some people will tell you that positive thinking is the key to seizing opportunities and getting whatever you want in life.
I’m here to tell you that this is NOT true.
If you get lost in the woods without a map to help guide you back to where you need to be, it doesn’t matter how positive you think you are, because unless you get yourself a map, you’re STILL going to be lost.
And if you only focus on “thinking positive,” you’ll just be happy about being lost.
To get back home, you need a map. You need guidance. You’ve got to update your approach. And you need to take action.[1]
If you want to achieve your goals, get your dream job, attract the perfect partner, or seize the opportunity of a lifetime. It doesn’t matter how positive you think you are if your way of thinking is faulty.
To fix your way of thinking, you need to envision a detailed desired outcome of what you want. Once you’ve done that, you’ve got to take deliberate action towards that desired outcome.
Unless you map out a detailed picture of what you want AND you combine that with action, you’ll veer off the path and bypass great opportunities.
So, here’s what you need to do:
Step 1: Think About an Area of Your Life You’d Like to Change for the Better
Imagine what it would feel and look like if you were able to change this area of your life. Think about the best possible outcome/scenario that could occur if everything were to go exactly the way you want it to go (it never goes perfectly, but don’t worry about that right now).
Step 2: Take This Vision You’ve Created in Your Mind From Step 1, and write it Down as a Goal.
Be as detailed and specific as possible.
Step 3: Break That Goal Down Into Several Small Steps That Need to Be Taken for You to Achieve it
If you’re not sure about what steps you need to take to achieve your goal, then your first step is to start reading, researching, and gathering knowledge about what you need to do. You might need to talk to someone who’s already done what you want to do or find an inspiring podcast that can help fast-track your way to success.
The main idea is this: you need to decide on some sort of action you can right now to make progress on your goal.
Some examples: Want to start a business? Start researching how to get a business license. Want a new car? Go to the car dealership and test drive that car you want.
Do something, anything, to get the ball rolling.
Step 4: Remain Consistent and Keep Taking Action
Once you’ve taken one small step towards your goal, you’ll need to set up another one. And another one. And another one.
Along the way, you’ll notice different ideas and opportunities that you can leverage toward achieving your goal.
Bottom Line
Follow these steps and eventually your goals won’t be in your imagination anymore, they’ll be your reality.
