Get Prepared for Your Opportunity

Updated on NOVEMBER 30, 2019 by JOSEPH MERCER

I've often heard it said that it's better to be prepared than to be lucky because luck may gain you access to something but preparation and knowledge will help you keep it. The same is true with opportunity, many people sit around waiting for the perfect opportunity to occur for them; but what is an opportunity if you are not prepared to take full advantage of it when it occurs. Preparation is the key to "sticking the landing" when it comes to opportunity.

“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.”

- Bobby Unser

Chances are, your career won't start out at the top. You will have to strive for success and spend countless hours reaching for what is destined to be yours. But if life does provide you with that opportunity; you have to be ready when it arrives. Ready to seize the moment and claim your destiny. But “getting ready for life’s opportunity” is easier said than done. How can you get ready for a trip you have never been on before?

1.  When opportunity knocks do not complain about the noise

One thing to remember about opportunity is that it will never show up in a form that you expected. Benjamin Disraeli, said that we are often surrounded by opportunity but we are too busy with our lives to recognize it. Opportunities show up in our lives everyday and they pass us by because we do not recognize them as opportunities.

2. When opportunity knocks be up and dressed

Many people are living their lives driving in the slow lane with their gear set on neutral. They have the belief that when opportunity arrives, they will miraculously shift into high gear, skip three lanes over into the Fastlane and conquer success. Opportunity only works if a person is prepared for the challenge. Don’t expect the opportunities in your life to slow down or wait for you to catch up. Remember, an opportunity is an opening in the Fastlane not a reduction in speed.

3. Open the door before opportunity knocks

Being prepared takes more than practice, you have to assume the role and start thinking like you have the opportunity prior to its arrival. This means networking, volunteering, and studying practice being in the Fastlane before the opportunity arrives so that when it does you will be ready to roll!

Opportunity preparation is about doing what you can do within your control to increase the odds of you recognizing the opportunity, being in the right place for the opportunity, and being prepared for the opportunity.

Thank you for reading — it means a lot to me. I appreciate your sharing as well. Please follow me on Medium, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn — I’d love to connect and be a part of your network team. On social media I share my own articles, but also those that I find helpful and relevant to business, success, entrepreneurship, leadership, community enhancement, and personal development. You can find out more about me at joseph-mercer.com.