In my walk through life, it is an experience that keeps telling me what to do next. This is what has kept me going and enjoying the many strides.
I have learnt to say what I want and not to beat around the bush. Like the story I read through one magazine of a woman who had an opportunity that could have turned her life around but failed to utilise it.
Her Excellency, the First Lady of our country travelled to the town where she had her secondary education to commission a project. The people had gathered there to welcome the First Lady of the country.
After the project commissioning, the crowd pulled behind Her Excellency as she made to leave the place. Her name echoed from the crowd.
Aunty Cheetah! Aunty Cheetah!!
That name rings a bell. Only someone who had attended Idumagbo High School would have known that name.
The First Lady during her school days used to be an athlete. She was the fastest girl in school and led the school relay team to different competitions and they came out victorious. That had earned her the nickname Cheetah. That was because she could run very fast.
Upon hearing the name again and again, the First Lady ordered that the woman who was calling her be brought.
The First Lady asked her who she was. She states how she had been a junior of the First Lady in secondary school. It was quite a memorable moment for the First Lady that asked the woman what she wanted.
The poor woman began to tell stories of how she had lost her husband and left to cater for her four children. She couldn't state what she wanted. Out of pity, the First Lady asked one of her escorts to give the women #50,000 and she gave the woman her private number to call in two weeks.
This old woman was so happy that she went to her church to testify that God had finally smiled on her.
In the course of the week, the First Lady travelled for a surgery and never returned alive. She died as a result of the complications of the surgery. And the woman never had the opportunity to meet with the First Lady afterwards.
From the foregoing, you'd see that the poor widow had an opportunity to finally get her wish met but she blew it away.
What Do You Want?
Whenever an opportunity comes to us, let's be determined to hold on to what we need to do as at that moment to make the right decisions.
You may want to ask me what you should do when the opportunity comes in a place you didn't expect it. Like the woman in the foregoing story, she was the one that called out to the First Lady, not for fun but could still not say what she wanted when the open cheque was presented to her.
To be able to clinch on that opportunity, you could take the following steps.
Don't Be Shy:
Shyness could make your intention lame. A lame intention does not have the ability to state the obvious. Of course if you deny yourself the chance that you need to say what you need because of prevailing circumstances, you may not have an opportunity opened again.
Hence, kill the shyness and be focused on your goals and lay hold on it when it appears.
Be Direct In Your Response:
Let your response be straightforward. A response determines what you get. Some people have been known to answer questions with questions. If an opportunity comes, it comes like a thief in the night. We should always be prepared to have to face the situation where an opportunity can be handled properly.
Opportunity once lost can never be regained.
Understand The Opportunity:
Our thoughts should be opened in expectation of opportunity. One should know that opportunities do not announce themselves, we should be able to detect when an opportunity comes.
State Your Goals Clearly:
Knowing your goals is a good way to take an opportunity. Some opportunities may not be made for you, with stating a goal clearly, we will be able to learn which opportunity should be taken.