“The secret of success is to be ready when your opportunity comes.” –Benjamin Disraeli

Dear Destiny Friends,

Happy New Year. It is a thing of joy to celebrate a new year. Today being the first of January 2021 is very symbolic because it gives us an opportunity to make new resolutions, it usher’s new opportunities and new vision depending on what you are working on. It should be noted the new year doesn’t come with opportunities, you create the opportunities, and in creating the opportunities you have to be intentional and deliberate on what you’re doing.

What really is an opportunity? Opportunity means different things to different people. Opportunity can be defined as a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.  As we journey into 2021, the task before us is how we can create the right opportunity to have a fruitful year. We shall be looking for how to create the right opportunity.

In 2021, everyone’s desire is to succeed and achieve greater success than they did in 2020. Some people had amazing opportunities in 2020, while some could not make use of it. Opportunity comes to everyone in several ways. For some, it literally makes itself available to you and expects you to grab it. For others, you must create the opportunity by thinking out of the box.  

Just like Coronavirus pandemic caused so much harm to many people who lost their loved ones, and to businesses which couldn’t function at optimal capacity, yet it created the opportunity for creative minds like Eric Yuan, the creator of Zoom to become a billionaire because of the demand for zoom meetings.

The point here is that in whatever circumstances you find yourself, an opportunity will always present itself for you if only you can think out of the box. For example, the right opportunity enables you to acquire new skills, financial gain, greater and access to leadership roles.

 What most people don’t understand is 2021 won’t offer you the right opportunity you need, in most cases, you will have to create the opportunity in order to fulfil the yearnings of your heart; in our search for financial stability, we have to the right opportunity in our search for fulfilment in life, we have to create the right that opportunity will make us happy.

The new year definitely offers new opportunities to succeed, but the question we have to ask ourselves is, how do we take advantage of those opportunities?

Look for opportunities.

Opportunities don’t come to us, rather it presents itself to us. For you to take advantage of any opportunity, you must be prepared for it. As a rational mind, your focus in 2021 is to look for the right opportunity which can be via networking, serving, travelling, attending paid of professional events, it can be going to odd places which ordinarily may sound foolish to most people, but as a rational mind whose is able to think out of the box, you can create an opportunity when you see a market to sell a product or convert people to buy your idea.

Be willing to read and research  

This is another great way of creating opportunity. A philosopher once said, if I can’t find the answer, I know where to find it. He was basically talking about researching. It is generally believed that knowledge is power, but in reality, knowledge is information, and it is the application of that knowledge or information which gives y0ou power.

 Be clear on what you want.

The more specific you are with respect to your business and in life generally on what you want, the better it will be for people to assist you. When you know what you want, you’ll take proactive steps to create the right opportunities you need.  When you don’t really know what you want it will be hard to know when an opportunity has arrived.

When you are clear about what you are looking for, it creates a road map and avenue that causes you to see opportunities that match your interest and disregard other opportunities that are just distractions.  

Know what steps are necessary to achieve it. 

If you really know what you want, you’ll make necessary effort to achieve it. In this age where technology rules, it’s literally easy to get what you want if you’re internet savvy. Identifying the necessary steps is a key part of the process that may require investigating, studying, and learning lots of new information.

There are several ways to attract the right opportunity. For example, you must decide on what you want, know when the right opportunity presents itself, you must pay attention, be diligent and be able to network strategically.

Think about service people need 

For you to create wealth, you need to create a service or product people are willing to purchase. Before starting a business, ask yourself if there is a demand for the product. There was a story about two friends who were walking in a village and one discovered there’s a market for them to make footwears for the villagers who weren’t wearing any footwear, while the other was seeing lack of market based on the fact the people won’t be able to purchase the product.

Surround yourself with the right people

In 2021, try to surround yourself with the right people. It is widely acclaimed; your network is your net worth and if you’re the smartest person in the room, leave the room.  Having the right people around you can create numerous opportunities for you. The right people can be the right mentors, mentees, friends, books, etc.  For instance, if nine of your friends are billionaires, it won’t take long for you to become the next billionaire.

According to Olajide Abiola “Opportunities do not wear name Tags”

“You’ve been socialized wrongly if you believe opportunities must announce itself with a public address system. Most or all of us are constantly presented with opportunities. There is hardly anyone who doesn’t get an opportunity. That people are unable to recognize or interpret situations to identify the opportunities doesn’t invalidate the opportunity. Opportunities do not wear name tags and aren’t pre-announced. You cannot stereotype how opportunities manifest.

Opportunity can manifest through misfortune.
Opportunity can manifest through crisis.
Opportunity can manifest through pain.
Opportunity can manifest through disappointment.
Opportunity can manifest through inconveniences.

Some opportunities have to be cultivated, watered, fertilized et al. Some opportunities require you to prune things. The reason many miss opportunities is because they see opportunity as a RIPENED fruit that should simply be plucked out. There are opportunities for everything all around, you just need to have an enlightened mind. You must also know that you may have to plant an opportunity….water an opportunity….fumigate an opportunity….fertilize an opportunity”.  

In conclusion, what opportunity are you willing to create in 2021 by thinking out of the box?

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a mindset coach and transformational coach. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success and President of gloemi.com. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com