Monday 23 September 2013

LOCATING OPPORTUNITIES IN A VOLATILE SOCIETY ...BY MRS. MORENIKEJU OHENHEN


*        We often miss opportunity because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work” -THOMAS EDISON
 
Learn To Recognize Opportunities
Ability to recognize opportunities is a skill we need to acquire in these times that we are in. To live our lives more purposefully, we need to embrace as many opportunities that come our way.
Without forgetting that this experience or expression called opportunity comes in different forms shapes and sizes, it is important to be able to recognize them as they come.
Facing our futures with courage, hope, determination and sometimes healing (of the mind) can all contribute in no small measure to help us attain our goals and embrace every  opportunity, while dealing ruthlessly with every stumbling block that seems to want to stand in our way of taking advantage of every truly life-changing experience cannot be over-emphasized
Listen to what Boris Pasternak said :
“When a great moment knocks on the door of your life, it is often no louder than the beating of your heart, and it is very easy to miss it.
― Boris Pasternak
A Word of Warning!
Thomas Monson in “Pathways To Perfection” says “Our most significant opportunities will be found in times of greatest difficulty.” 
So watch out when distressed, when depressed, when confused, when down and hopeless, all those experiences all put together are stepping stones which open  greater doors of opportunities a lot of times and if you’re not careful, you may be too engrossed in your pain, to look up and climb that stepping stone to reach out to your opportunities.
RISKS OPEN DOORS FOR OPPORTUNITIES
Take risks, don’t remain in your comfort zone, stretch yourself, take more than you can do and find meaning in risks!
Be open to new opportunities!!
SO….WHAT RISKS ARE YOU TAKING TODAY?
  • Moving to another State within Nigeria?
  •   Confronting a bully?
  •   Starting your own business?
  •   Trying food that you've never tried before?
  •   Embarking on a new Project?
  •   Doing something that is a little risky such as swimming or riding a bike for the first time?
  •   Going back to school to further your studies?
  •   Standing up for a person who is being victimized ?
  •   Asking for a promotion or a raise at work?
  •   Speaking up for what you think is right?
  •   Standing up for yourself?
  •   Telling your closest friend the truth?
  •   Leaving an abusive relationship?
  •   Changing careers?
  •   Doing something by yourself for the first time?
  •   Making a public presentation about something you believe in?
  •   Standing up against racism or prejudice?
  •   Leaving a job that you don't like when you don’t have another yet where that seems to be the best thing to do?
  •   Signing up for a program or class that intimidates you
  •   Confronting your parents or colleagues in the office when they’re doing something obviously wrong that no one knows about

Remember, ATITUDE IS EVERYTHING, so develop the right attitudes that will move you closer to your dreams.
So… 1.Seize more opportunities, 2.Say YES more often, 3.Don’t hesitate to take risks, 4.Be determined to succeed, 5.Explore, and fin ally 6.Have a positive attitude.
I encourage you to make the most of opportunities that come your way beginning from NOW.

For some of us, every day of our lives are painful reminders of the opportunities that we didn’t realize were opportunities at the time!! So wake up and live life to its full potential. ENJOY!!

13 comments:

  1. Great write up from you ma. This is a call to me to see the opportunity in my problem and not the problem in the opportunity. Really thank the speakpreneur team for this initiative. Expecting more and the next conference too.

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    1. Great Segun!
      That's the spirit, keep looking out, opportunities don't announce their arrival sometimes.
      Wish you the best!

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  2. blessing adenike12 October 2013 at 16:26

    Thank you ma for this incisive write up. You made it clear that our ability to recgonise opportunities is a neccessary skill we need have. I have always wanted to do great things and new stuffs too but the ability to recgonise the problem to solve and stuff is what I can't tell. Are there strategies one needs to adopt to recgonise opportunities?

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    1. Hi Blessing. Yes you're right, to do great things and new stuff, the ability to recognize opportunities is really essential. The secret is to see things differently, do things differently, see possibilities where others see roadblocks, in other words, THINK OUT OF THE BOX!. There's this story of 2 Salesmen who were marketing shoes in new areas. They got to this particular city and found, to their amazement, that the citizens of that town do NOT and have NEVER worn shoes!. The 1st Salesman sent a mail back to their organization to cancel the order/shipment of the shoes he was expecting to market, while the 2nd Salesman also sent a mail with this message "Please double the ORDER, there's a great, great opportunity here!
      All the best Blessing, as you deal with your stumbling blocks and face your future with hope, courage and determination!

      Delete
  3. tried commenting all the while. thank God we can now. i really wanna thank mrs. morenike ohenhen for this write up. you said; " risk opens the door for opportunities" which i really believe and accept. infact, i wanna take some more risk now!!! thanks

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    1. Yes Bukky, that's the idea.
      Risk sure does open the door for opportunities.
      So like you said, take more risks today!
      Stand up to speak for yourself when no one is willing to do that for you or get ready to tell someone the truth. All the best!

      Delete
  4. mrs. morenike, if there is anything thing i have gotten here today, it is that there is the need to take a risk in life. i have come to learn that without risk taking, there cannot be a positive movement in career and other aspects of life. i am gonna take some risk and leav my fear behind.

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    1. Well done Ogbaji, please do just that, leave your fear behind.
      Also, watch out when you're fearful, that's when to braise up and take risks.
      Wish you success and see you succeeding

      Delete
  5. really enjoy the post. it has truth written all over it. i wanna ask a question. i have identified opportunities in entreperneurship but i dont just seem to know what to do next and in few days, the exiting opportunities i got just seem so boring to me. so ma, what do i need to do next after identifing an opportunity?

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    1. Identifying an opportunity is not easy Chizaram, what you did after identifying it was that you messed it all up (permit me to say) with a negative attitude.
      To sustain an opportunity, you need to courage and determination. You need follow-up skills and also need to deal with procrastination (i.e. pushing forward till tomorrow (or the future) what can be done today or (now). Successful people overcome procrastination, they apply speed in every encounter, in every sphere. Wasting time was what made you to begin to see it as boring. There isn't any need to start qualifying an opportunity as boring, unexciting or what have you. When opportunity comes, it should be embraced immediately.
      Remember what I said in the Article, "develop the right attitude that will draw you closer to your dreams".
      Start over Chizaram and I sincerely hope though, that this opportunity is not lost forever.
      Receive courage!

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  6. This is very enlightening

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  7. Thanks Albert,
    Wish you success

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  8. on behalf of the speakpreneur team, i want to say a big thank you to Mrs. Morenike for her post and also taking out time to give responses to comments and questions.
    Ma, this goes a long way to show that you got the intrest of the members of this network and Nigerian youths in general at heart .you are a mother indeed.
    this post was view by more than 2000 youngminds via a number of social media platforms( facebook, twitter, google+, blogs, among others)
    the responses so far have been encouraging and more post are being expected from you ma.
    i would also want to use this meduim to apologise to all those that tried to drop their comments and could not cause of some technical issues with the blog. it has been resolved now and comments can come in easily.
    once again, thank you to all.
    THERE IS HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF NIGERIA!!!

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