“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
(Thomas Edison, who patented 1093 ideas – including his invention of the light bulb)
Have you ever had the occasion when your attention is drawn to something and all of a sudden it’s everywhere?
Perhaps you’re looking to buy a particular type of car and all of a sudden there seems to be an influx of that model on the roads. Maybe either yourself or close friend/ family member becomes pregnant and you are suddenly aware of an increase in the number of pregnant ladies that you see.
It’s highly unlikely that in reality there has been an influx, it’s just that you happen to be more aware so notice them even more. (Unless you’ve suddenly moved next door to that type of car show room or a maternity unit!)
Play with the following: take 30 seconds to look and notice everything that is behind you that is the colour brown. When you’ve had 30 seconds turn back to facing forwards and read the next paragraph.
Done that? So without looking, how many things can you name that are behind you that are the colour blue?
If you haven’t already turn round and have a look to see what you missed when you were purposefully looking for brown things.
The blue things were still there it’s just that most people don’t notice them in as much detail.
So what are you noticing about your life at the moment? Are you noticing lots of opportunities, or do you notice things to complain about or get exasperated by?
Just because you are noticing certain things in your life, it does not mean that there are not others there that you could choose to notice either instead or as well.
For example, what do you do if your train is delayed or a flight cancelled? Complain to anyone and everyone who will listen, sigh and do nothing or something else?
J K Rowling, who at the time was a single Mum on benefits, is suppose to have used a 4 hour train delay to put pen to paper for the first time about a boy attending a school for wizards. Several years further on and the 6th Harry Potter film is just opening around the world with much fan interest.
Upon hearing that his flight had been cancelled in 1984, Richard Branson chartered a jet and invited the other stranded passengers to fly for free. Several of those fellow passengers became investors in what was to become the airline Virgin Atlantic.
In those examples J K Rowling and Richard Branson may have been in two very different situations, with different resources available to them, but they both choose to use the situation as an opportunity to do something different.
I happened to catch a bit of a movie on one of the TV movie channels this week that was based upon the real life story of an award winning and nationally recognised teacher Brad Cohern. Diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at the age of 6, the tics and noises were often misunderstood as he was growing up and yet he turned this into an asset. He uses what he has learnt with his condition and his experiences to make a difference with what he does now. Brad says that Tourette syndrome made him the teacher he never had.
This week I invite you to notice what you are focusing upon.
Remember you don’t have to do anything different, just notice and then make a choice of what you then want to do.
How would you live your life if you knew that there was a possibility that something you did today would lead to all sorts of opportunities in the future? Would you approach something apparently mundane with more enthusiasm or renewed interest?
Have a play and find out the difference it makes for you.
Have a week full of opportunities
Love
Jen
This was originally posted on www.YourChangingDirection.com