Every brand new day is an opportunity for one to get better, do better and create better. But how will you get better without recognising the opportunity life has presented you with? Alice got a job in a hotel immediately after graduating from her diploma school. She badly wanted to upgrade but did not have money, she knew the job she had said yes to would not pay her enough, but she stood a chance to gain much more if only she invested a bit more. The determination to see her livelihood improve made her do the diploma when there was no money to take her to the university, to find means of surviving and eventually get a degree and probably find another job. To her, every moment and every opportunity counted. The first day she reported for work, she did extremely well and was noticed by the colleagues and guests. Her attitude was right, personality and energy great. It wasn’t long before she made new friends, went back to school got promoted and welcomed a few other offers. In just a few years, she had completely transformed and was on course to accomplish the goals she had set for herself. It is not often that opportunity walks into the door yelling one’s name saying ‘here I am, seize me,’ but it is up to the person hoping for a difference to see something grand in the little occurrences and people we encounter on a daily basis. The issue of internship and volunteering is discussed on numerous occasions with some people saying interns should be paid — as opposed to organisations feeling like they should be used for free — after all, they are learning. There is absolutely nothing wrong with contributing one’s time to an organisation or a cause one is passionate about. There are people that walked into companies as interns or volunteers and they were retained when their time was up. It all depends on the opportunity one saw beyond what they were being offered and what they did about it. From the way you smile and greet a stranger, to the way you walk into an interview room, up to when you walk out of one’s office when a deal is signed, every single minute counts and your outlook speaks volumes. We take it for granted when we attend a networking event and judge people from the way they are dressed and yet that could be the host and the most precious person you meet that evening. It’s advisable to keep our eyes and ears wide open in order to notice opportunities that present themselves to us in different forms. Even a colleague at work who asks you to deliver a difficult task is giving you a chance to learn something new. A positive minded person will not say they cannot do this or that, instead, they will ask for a little time to be able to figure out what needs to be done and how. Always look for opportunities to grow.
