“A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.”~Sir Francis Bacon~
A man seldom fails in life because he doesnt have the ability to succeed. Most often he fails because he uses too little of the power which lies dormant within him or he does not make use of his powers when the opportunity was ripe. Let us not permit the great sleeping forces within us to remain asleep. It is a catastrophe that the great opportunities of this world are sometimes not embraced by men and women of vision, insight and ambition.
It is also tragic to let talent go undeveloped-to live with unfulfilled ambitions, unrealized dreams, doors of opportunities that remain unopened, so long as the hinges are actually rusted. The great problem of life is not primarily of acquiring additional qualities; It is of realizing to the fullest extent the wealth of qualities with which we are already endowed.
We must be prepared to grab an opportunity, when we see one. For this we need a positive mental attitude. It means that we must be willing to support our positive thinking with a positive action. We should then continue to expect positive results. Remember thoughts are power, only when put into action.
For achieving success in any field whether personal or professional we must constantly be moving forward. The speed at which we move forward however is of minor importance. Of major importance is the direction in which we are travelling. We have to stay right on the main highway and not be led astray into detours and bye-lanes. A successful man once said “When I can run, I will run; When I can walk, I will walk; When I can only crawl, I will crawl; I will atleast always be moving forward.”
The human race is divided into two classes-
- Those who go ahead and do something, and
- Those who sit idle and enquire, out of idle curiosity that :- “Why wasn’t it done the other way?”
Success in life, be it in any task or field brings happiness and once reached must be won over and over again. Its not easy, but in the difficulty lies the opportunity, its rewards are great, but it belongs only to those brave and courageous souls, who care to have the faith in themselves. Who recognize and opportunity when it comes their way, grab it, make the most of it and continue to move forwards towards success. The winner says- It may be difficult, but its possible. The loser says- It may be possible, but its difficult. Now which category do we want to belong to? The Winner or The Loser?
One thing is certain, that if a person is willing to brave the hazards of the road, he will grow strong in the journey. Only the strong , courageous and the determined, find success in their journey. Such people dont explode into succcess; they GROW into it.
So, What kind of person are you? The go ahead and do something kind or the sit idle and enquire kind?
Do you remember of any opportunites Grabbed or Missed? How have these choices changed You?
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*Positive Provocations* 
My not-so-little #1 needs to see this post. I’ll send it her way. Thank you for sharing these thoughts.
Hi Jill,
I am glad this post and the thoughts in it will be of some use to your little one. Let me know how she likes it. And how she implements it..:)
Great post Zeenat.
To get experiences in life that you will treasure you have to do something, anything will do even if you have no idea what results it will give or how it will pan out.
When I migrated to New Zealand I had no idea where I would end up and what was going to happen. I had to learn another language, I had to find out about food and it was exciting as long as I was not attached to a time frame or how I wanted things to be.
Migration is a great way to learn to go with the flow and at the same time having to make things happen.
It was one of the best thing I have ever done in my life and it is a result of not sitting idle. I am still not sitting idle 🙂
Lots of love, Wilma
HI Wilma,
I Love your spirit towards life. I hope i have atleast half of that 🙂
Its true experiences are what make you learn and grow. But, if youre closed minded and have a set plan for everything, Plan B isnt an option. And most of the time Plan B is the one thats most exciting isnt it?? 😉 Each experience is an opportunity to grow and learn.
I agree with how migration can make you learn how to go with the flow. I have migrated twice-once to another country and once interstate. To me both were learning experiences. It also helped me declutter 😉 and added bonus for me.
Glad you liked the post.
Lao-tzu once said that “the reason most people don’t recognize opportunity is because it often come disguised as hard work.” Personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way. When we challenge ourselves, we grow!
Hi Jonathan,
How so very coincidental…i was actually gonna add that quote by Lao Tzu and then went with the one i have in the beginning of the post now 🙂 Both perfect and both give a powerful message. Opportunity disguised in whatever way is to be pursued. Thanks for this lovely enhancement to the post.
Hello, Zeenat
There is so much to say about these two: Winner and Looser.
I think one makes the choice; life is like an open book. The opportunity usually knocks at the door but when we take too much time to think about we my lose it.
It takes hard work to achieve what we want but this is the only way to move ahead.
I found your article very interesting and educational.
Thank you,
Zuzanna
Hi Zuzanna,
It is the way of thinking isnt it..positive or negative…..winner or loser. Its our thinking that will make us either. It is our choice and then our hard work that will make us go forward.
I am glad you found this article to be interesting and educational.
Am very happy to see you here too. Thank you for you beautiful comment.
i vacillate between the winner and the loser category. need to put your advice to practice
Hey Suzy,
I know it can be a tough choice. But it will be worth all that hard work. And then we can be winners all the way 🙂
Some great examples of how attitude and determination can “make or break” us. I choose to be the forward-moving person who sees, grabs, or makes opportunities.
Wonderful post, Zeenat!
Karen
Hi Karen,
You said it…”make or break” Our attitude, determination and choice to move forward and grab these opportunities is what will make us happy and successful. I love the Make or break analogy. A perfect fit.
Glad you liked the post 🙂
I am a doer even if it seems different I don’t feel it necessary to follow the crowd but go my own way.
Seize the moment when opportunity knocks.
Wonderful article, Zeenat.
xox
Dear Bunny,
Thats the reason youre so unique!!!
I think DOER is a Bonus Category of super humans. Thats what you are to me though 🙂
But seriously Doer is more of a winner already…cause in doing he is that much closer to his goal. A Doer doesnt miss an opportunity.
I like it DOER. Am gonna write a long post on that word soon. Love it and You 😉
Hi Zeenat! I LOVE this post! (of course, I always do!) Even though my pace is slower these days, I’ve always moved and when I look back I don’t see many missed opportunities – altho a few of them I should have! Your post reminds me of the “DO Something!” saying, the exact words elude me at the moment. Suffice to say, the people I have found the most frustrating to encounter on my journey are those who are sitting and waiting for something to happen to them while they complain about their status quo. You have permission to shoot me if I ever get like that!
Hi Suzen,
After reading your comment i remembered something i had heard…i dont really know know whether it was a quote or part of some prayer-
“God has promised to give you sustenance, but earning that sustenance is your job”
Catch you getting like that!! I dont think you ever will and i am all for non violence so no shooting 😉
Hi Zeenat,
I finally made it over to your blog! Yay! What a lovely site you have. I love gerbera daisies so your logo brings me such joy.
As for your post, I agree with you. Many people fall into the trap of thinking that they are limited or that their dreams cannot come true. Often people want things without doing anything and life just does not work that way. Faith and destiny are true but there is also something called effort. The more you do and give, the more that is returned to you. Hard work will always pay off and if you love what you are doing, then it will not feel like hard work.
Also when you love what you are doing, you will draw more opportunities that you desire. Playing small yields small results. Playing big will move mountains.
HI Nadia,
Yipeee…you made it!! Me is very happy 🙂
Thank you for the lovely compliments about my blog..my labor of love. I love flowers hence gerbera daisies seemed happiest looking to spread the cheer here.
As for grabbing opportunities, I personally have a hard time digesting some peoples constant complains as to how their life is down in the dumps, but these very people just wont get off their butts and do something about it. Its true, they believe if its in my destiny it will happen. But destiny is made by moving forward and not by being stagnant right!
Thank you for dropping by and sharing you wisdom. Truly Appreciate it.
I like what you said in this post a lot. It reminds me that, even if baby steps are all we can muster, they’re still leading us to our goals. “When I can run, I will run. When I can walk, I will walk. When I can only crawl, I will crawl…” I absolutely love that, Zeenat. Thank you!
By the way, I love the new, warmer look. It’s fabulous!
Hello Megan My Joyful Angel,
Baby steps is good cause even in doing so youre moving forward and walking towards the door of opportunities. I am glad you loved the line “When i can run,..” I forgot to add baby steps in that just before crawling 🙂
Am so so glad you noticed the new look. And happier cause you think its fabulous. My labor of love has been appreciated..yippee! After reading your last post, i seem to want to cheer a lot more 🙂
Lots of love.
The winner says- It may be difficult, but its possible. The loser says- It may be possible, but its difficult
My favorite line in the whole post. Of course success takes hard works and even with a positive attitude it may seem difficult, but it can be done. Yes, it can be done!
Hi Jonathan,
Yes it might be difficult. It might be disguised or hidden, but there are opportunities everywhere just waiting for us to grab onto and move ahead. Its in our choice of action, to become a winner or a loser. A positive attitude will make you a winner whereas a negative attitude will not get you anywhere.
But it can be done! We can be positive, happy and successful.
I wanna be a winner! A winner I say.
This post reminds me to keep moving, even if I feel I’m only crawling.
The following spoke to me very much… “We must be prepared to grab an opportunity, when we see one. For this we need a positive mental attitude.” SO TRUE!! That will I write down in good penmanship and keep close to me tomorrow as I try to expand my comfort zone.
Thank you.
Hi Jannie,
I am with you….lets all be winners winners winners…we owe that much to ourself.
Am so glad you liked the thought “we must be prepared…” MAkes me feel special that youre gonna save it for future reference.
Thank you for your Giggly and insightful comment. Always such a pleasure to read…just like your blog.
This is so beautiful dear friend, I love this whole post. I am someone who every day asks myself am I am awake. Am I embracing all the opportunities that life has to offer. I make sure I am not asleep at the wheel and taking my life or Life itself for granted.
I am a great believer that some of the best opportunities come in ugly disguises but are NONETHELESS powerful, life altering opportunities.
I guess I would say this: ALL of Life, ALL experiences good or bad are opportunities. It’s just a matter of how we choose to respond to each experience.
This is a powerful post.
Thank you dear beautiful friend.
Love,
Robin
Dearest Robin,
Your words bring me such joy. You have said it so beautifully….all of life and all its good or bad, beautiful or ugly experiences are opportunities…
And its only our own attitude that will make the difference in whether we see it as an opportunity or just another incident.
Am so happy you loved this post. You opinion is very valuable to me.
Love to you.
Wonderful post Zeenat !
Inspirational and good insights ! Really loved couple of the highlighted lines.
Hi Lakshmi,
So great to see you here. Welcome to my Blog.
Am so glad you liked the post and the highlighted lines and quotes.
Thank you for your appreciation.
Hope to see you here again.
Excellent post! Quite an inspirational post on how we can get ahead in life and create opportunities where they are not visible to everyone… Keep up the great work!
HI Vijay,
Glad you liked the post:)
Sometimes we only think of getting ahead, but do nothing about it and then complain, “why is this happening to me?” If only we could stop complaining and actually open our hearts and minds…we can achieve the success we all dream of.
Zeen,
A good thought….Majority strive diligently to climb the ladder of success, however very few reaches there. Success has its own meaning in various context of life. If you sit idle at home and wait for success, I’m sure you will never be able to get it. Your thoughts are inspiring..Keep up the good work. I liked the image for this post.
Hi Remya,
So nice to see your insightful comment here. Youre right…If we sit idle and wait success will not come on a platter….we have to get off our butts and work hard and grab these opportunities to attain true success.
The image is from Flickr.com, the link is at the end of the post.
Am glad you liked this post. 🙂
Zeenat, what a wonderful article! I love this quote:
“A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.”
My perspective and attitude has changed so much in the last year I can hardly believe it! Those unfilled and undeveloped ambitions and dreams are a real downer when you start getting older. I really appreciate your blog and your insight. Well done!
Hey Stephen,
Life and its experiences have a funny and interesting way of making us realize things. A good change is always welcome isnt it 🙂
Your appreciation means a lot. You’re so good at what you do and write…at your blog. So, when you compliment my blog Its a real honor for me. Thank you for your support and your lovely comment.
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I don’t know If I said it already but …This blog rocks! I gotta say, that I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say I’m glad I found your blog. Thanks, 🙂
A definite great read..Jim Bean
Hey, I found your blog in a new directory of blogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, anyway cool blog, I bookmarked you. 🙂
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