Recognizing Opportunity

I read an article a few months back detailing how researches have determined what makes certain people "lucky" versus "unlucky" and it lies primarily in a person's ability to recognize and pursue multiple opportunities at the same time. There were several experiments, here is one that I remember specifically:

One by one the self described "lucky" and "unlucky" people were asked to find an article in the back section of a newspaper, when it actually was placed in smaller print on the back of the first page. The lucky people found it almost immediately while most of the unlucky people couldn't find it at all and gave up in exasperation. When the lucky people were asked how they came across the article so quickly, most responded that they already knew it would be in the back of the paper, so why not survey the other pages, just in case.

Opportunities take many different forms and are sometimes in places we never think to look. Sometimes they come in the form of negative experiences, like diseases or accidents, not all are presented to us in a positive light. Maybe being "lucky" has nothing to do with odds and everything to do with outlook? The experiment above certainly suggests that would be the case.

I'm thinking a lot about opportunity right now. I started this year as a renter and tonight I go under contract for my first house. If you would have told me in January I would be a homeowner by the end of March, I would have laughed at you. It wasn't until I went out on, what I considered to be, a lark, and applied for pre-qualification just to see where I was at. I was prepared for rejection and was overjoyed when I received acceptance.

Do you avoid opportunities for fear of failure or rejection? We all do to some extent, but why? Why is it that we stop ourselves from pursuing goals and dreams for fear that we will fail? Is that goal or dream a one shot chance?

Probably not.

So here I am with a little anecdotal evidence for you on the power of recognizing opportunity and being creative with problem solving. When you are focused and completely committed, shit can get accomplished at break neck speed and that goal or dream isn't all that far away from you after all.

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