People need to be given the opportunity to gain experience, learn and explore their curiosities. If you work hard, you will respect yourself and the progress you've made.
When I give my girls a toy they are appreciative but I soon find it laying on the floor or, more often, in the mouth of our puppy. But when they earn and spend their own money on a toy it stays safe and protected from the monstrous vacuum and the curious mouth of the pup.
Hard work, a curiosity to know more, respect and honesty are the keys to creating opportunity for yourself and others.
Nothing in life is free. I've learned that finding opportunity is the key to finding success. Opportunity won't find you. You must be determined to find it. Don't let life happen to you. Make life happen for you. I am not a victim of circumstance and you don't have to be either.
If you seek to improve your position in life there are a few things you'll need.
- Education. You don't need a degree. What you do need is to learn. Listen to the news, talk with people and find out about something you didn't know yesterday. The key to learning is asking a question and seeking out an answer. Information gives you talking points, perspective and the power to make decisions rather than having decisions made for you.
- Passion. Everyone has something that evokes a passionate response. A relationship, an opinion, an experience. Find something that is really important to you and do what you can to make an impact. It doesn't have to be big. But if you can get outside of yourself and find a way to impact others, you'll discover an array of opportunities you never knew existed.
- Confidence. Confidence comes from recognizing your skills and abilities and wanting to use those abilities to help others. It means being humble and listening to the needs of others so you can help them find a solution. If you pride yourself on being punctual, someone is looking for you. If you are friendly and good with people, someone is looking for you. Know your strengths and limitations and you will find confidence.
- Curiosity. Change is hard and many seek the comfort of predictability. But if you want to move forward and make your life better, you need to seek out new things. Start small. Take a different way to work or school. Try a different meal at your favorite restaurant.
- Courage. This is the most important of them all. Finding opportunity and making a change is very, VERY hard. It throws us out of our comfort zone and life becomes unpredictable. Finding new opportunity to make life better is like climbing a mountain. But I've climbed mountains, literally. What I know is when you stop and look around you, no matter where you are on the mountain, you see how far you've come and the beauty of everything around you. This gives you the strength to carry on.
- Determination. You have to want to be better. I am famous for having lots of ideas on how I could, should, or would. But ideas won't help my life get better. I have to take action and follow things through. A wise person once told me "Rashelle, make sure you don't should on yourself."
- Fun, fun, fun. Finding new opportunities can be fun. Don't worry about grades, judgment or the internal voice saying "You can't." If you say I can't, you won't. If you say I can, you will. Enjoy every new opportunity that comes your way and have fun becoming a better you. You'll thank yourself later!