Seize Opportunity

 

Recently I've noticed several associates of mine complaining about a lack of opportunities, but then failing to capitalize on them when they appear. This episode is for them, and maybe you, if you're wanting to get better at generating and seizing the opportunities that cross your path every day. Full audio and transcript below, lmk what you think!

 

 

Seizing Opportunity

 

(0:01 - 0:18)

When opportunity presents itself, you need to pounce. And this episode is about seizing opportunity. I do a lot of business, and I'm involved in a lot of deal-making, and I'm involved in a lot of negotiation.

 

(0:21 - 1:12)

So there's a business context, obviously, to seizing opportunity, but it isn't solely exclusive to business-related scenarios. There can be all kinds of different scenarios where opportunities present themselves. Maybe you're an athlete, and there's an opportunity to crack into your starting lineup, or to make the team at a certain event that you've been invited to, to qualify for the championships, or to win the medal, even, win the gold medal, or similar, on the day of the event, the competition.

 

(1:13 - 1:41)

That's an opportunity. Maybe there's the person you've always wanted to talk to that are inaccessible generally, but you happen to bump into them at the grocery store while you're looking for potato chips or something, you know what I mean? And you turn, and this person's right in front of you. That's an opportunity.

 

(1:45 - 3:10)

Opportunities are presented to us, I would suggest, on a regular basis, on a daily basis. And the work we can do to make that happen for ourselves, I feel, in helping grow and advance our lives and our worlds and all these things, is to increase the number of opportunities we have, and to increase our possible exposure, for lack of a better word, to more opportunities. And we can do this in all areas of our lives, and we can reflect on which ways and where and how we can enhance the number of opportunities that we're presented with, right? So as we're considering this, you can look in the mirror, basically, and ask yourself, how am I doing in that regard? If you're struggling, how many opportunities do you have around you? If you're growing, how many opportunities do you have around you, and how are you creating them? And if you're struggling, there's all kinds of variables to that.

 

(3:11 - 4:03)

But opportunities still present themselves. And you can even dig deeper into this and explore, how are you possibly resisting opportunities? Missing opportunities? Failing to create or generate opportunities? And if you are struggling, then I suggest to you that part of the work to transform your fortunes and to move through that phase, because it's just a phase, right? It's not permanent, good mindset adjustment, if you're experiencing states like that at the moment. It's a phase, it'll pass.

 

(4:04 - 4:39)

But so as I've said before, we're controlling the things we can or accepting the things we can't. So if we're struggling, then we need to generate more opportunity. And so how can we generate more opportunity? And how can we seize upon the opportunities that we're generating? A great example here, and I'm like a huge soccer fan, as I was talking about in the soccer episode about Messi and MLS and all this.

 

(4:40 - 5:04)

And Messi's my homeboy, Messi's like the guy. He is so good, right? And he is so fun to watch and he doesn't dive and he doesn't whine, he just plays the game, right? And he's so talented. So shaking his hand one day would be awesome.

 

(5:04 - 5:44)

That would be an opportunity I would definitely try and seize just to say thank you for sharing his gift with the world and inspiring so many people and myself included, right? But the example of Messi, there's a clip circulating right now that's gone pretty viral from his championship game the other day in the League's Cup. And the clip is of him walking around the field. And it's a known thing about Messi, he doesn't just run for 90 minutes.

 

(5:44 - 6:17)

He walks and studies and observes and times his work. And when you watch the clip, it doesn't look like he's doing anything much, I'll say. You can see what he is actually doing if you're a student of the game, but he's kind of standing and he's looking around, but he is looking around like this way, that way, but he isn't doing a whole heck of a lot until the flow of play kind of moves.

 

(6:17 - 6:30)

And you watch in the clip, he's following it. He's following it. And then he kind of sees it opening, right? And he starts to move and then he starts to speed up.

 

(6:30 - 6:47)

And then he gets into play and he puts his hand up asking for the ball. And then he didn't get it directly, but it took a bounce off of someone else that lands at his feet. And what does he do? He seizes the opportunity, right? The ball is now at his feet, it's up to him.

 

(6:49 - 7:13)

He beats the first guy handily, but there's three or four defenders on ball side, and that means between him and the net, right? Including the goalie, well, and plus the goalie, I'll say. And he kind of dangles one and throws him off balance. And then kind of scoots around the others.

 

(7:15 - 7:35)

And let's go, just a rocket. It's just an amazing shot where he slots it like right, pretty much top left corner, which is super hard for the goaltender to reach, especially like, you know, when you're watching Messi, you don't know where he's gonna go, right? And so he just like totally lined that up. It was an incredible finish.

 

(7:36 - 8:09)

I guess it wasn't a rocket as much as it had a bit of a bend in it, but it was just a beautiful shot. And you know, they score, right? And this is like championship game stuff. And if you watch the best and you study the best, and you follow the best, no matter what part of the world you're looking at, no matter what they do, no matter what business they're in, whatever, that's what the best do.

 

(8:10 - 8:48)

When he gets the ball at his feet, he seizes that opportunity. And the best don't need many opportunities to achieve results because they do their work, they practice, they're prepared so that when the opportunities come or the opportunity comes, they're ready and they take advantage of it. Like Messi can get lots of chances, but he doesn't need many chances.

 

(8:49 - 10:10)

I don't have the numbers specifically, but if you looked at the stats of the game, the best in the world, Messi, you know, who I argue is the GOAT of all time, is incredible. But like at this caliber, even, and even among his peers, the best goal scorers, for instance, don't need a lot of chances, right? The goal scorers who aren't as strong need lots of chances because that is basically their conversion rate, you know, their percentage, right? So it's just a great example of getting to that point where you don't need many opportunities to succeed, to achieve, but depending where you're at at the moment, the goal should be generally, and even for Messi, I mean, the goal kind of reasonably is the same, to still create as many opportunities as possible. It just so happens that in some periods there aren't as many opportunities coming in, and in others, there's a whole bunch, right? The work is to try and realize, right? Move on, attain, achieve, there's so many different words you could use here.

 

(10:15 - 11:20)

Whatever opportunities do present themselves. And the reason this comes up for me is, you know, I watch people in my network, it's just, you know, doddle, for lack of a better word, like just really not get it. Here's the thing with opportunities, they come and they go, and they also don't stay forever, right? So you could have a window of time, generally, all of them do, basically, a window of time where the opportunity is available, where it presents itself, right? In sales, you'll recognize this as sales, like discounts and promotions and stuff, you know? Available for a limited time, you know? People use this to their advantage by only creating a tight window that the discount is available.

 

(11:21 - 11:41)

That's an opportunity to achieve the discount. But that's only like one, just really kind of lifestyle type example, right? In shopping. All of these opportunities present themselves in a different, you know, time constraint.

 

(11:42 - 12:25)

So if you're at the grocery store and you turn and like your hero is standing next to you or something, right? Maybe you're a Taylor Swift fan or something, Taylor Swift is standing next to you, also looking for a bag of potato chips. How much time do you think you have to just say something or at least say hello or at least, you know? These are like fractions of seconds, really, in that case, right? Messi making that move, the ball on his feet. He has the moments that he can keep the ball on his feet, right? Those choices he's making right then, because like that's the flash of the opportunity.

 

(12:28 - 13:04)

While he has the talent, he's not necessarily going to, you know, take that ball and just dribble around the whole field with it for like an hour. You know what I mean? That's not how the game works. Similarly, like in business, maybe there's an opportunity that presents itself for you like a job opportunity or a new acquisition or a deal or a chance to work with a group or similar.

 

(13:04 - 13:41)

And there's kind of etiquette in business about like the process of receiving an opportunity, evaluating an opportunity, you know, discussing the opportunity and then making a decision on the opportunity. And in that process, you can also like maybe put it off for a bit. You can also, I mean, you can pass right at the beginning, of course, or you can go through that full process and choose like, okay, well, you know, I'll think about it some more.

 

(13:43 - 14:36)

But in passing or in that process or in that choice, the fact that remains with opportunity period is that there's nothing that guarantees that the opportunity will still be there later. There's nothing that guarantees that if you don't make a move on the opportunity as it presents itself, as it's available to you, that you're going to have the chance to do that later, again, or ever receive a similar opportunity again in your life, right? Look, side note, if Taylor Swift pulls up next to you at the grocery store and you're both looking for potato chips, there's a little pro tip. I'd suggest, recommend your favorite bag of chips.

 

(14:37 - 15:16)

I would suggest try that as opposed to just blurting something random out of your mouth or asking her, what are your favorite chips? When interacting with people, which this is a little aside, I digress a bit, but when interacting with people, making conversation tends to go a bit better when it's contextualized with what's going on. If you're just like, hi, how's your day? Or, oh my God, Taylor, I love you, or whatever. I don't know why I'm using Taylor Swift as an example, but she's just, you know, she's been culturally relevant for a while, but also like she's on tour and stuff.

 

(15:16 - 15:29)

So everybody's talking about her. I guess that's why she's top of mind. But, you know, you contextualize it instead of just kind of gushing over, you know, celebrities or whatever.

 

(15:29 - 16:00)

And, oh my God, Taylor or something, you know what I mean? If you notice that kind of detail, or you're all looking at the same thing, or you're all kind of working on the same puzzle, or, you know, to make conversation with people, just as a side note, you can take this one with you, is just contextualize it to what's going on. And it helps people bridge and kind of relate in the moment, like just normal people. So that's a thing.

 

(16:00 - 16:24)

But like, she's not gonna be there forever looking for chips. So what are you gonna do about it? And I know so many people that just dawdle on this stuff. And I honestly love you if you're one of those people who is a bit indecisive, doesn't know really how to make choices.

 

(16:26 - 16:38)

You know, struggles taking, it's such a kind of maybe not the right way to say it, but taking advantage of opportunity. You're not taking advantage of opportunity really. Like opportunity is yours.

 

(16:38 - 16:41)

You deserve it. It's there. It's presenting itself for you.

 

(16:42 - 17:03)

Opportunities don't necessarily present themselves equally to all people. So when they pass by you in your life, it is meant for you. So receive it in kind and step into it, right? So I love you if you're still, if you struggle with that sort of thing, but I know people that I look at them sometimes and it's like, they're rejecting opportunity.

 

(17:03 - 17:24)

They're ignoring opportunity. They prefer to kind of wallow in mediocrity or similar. And I would just, I love them, but I wonder how they even tie their shoelaces in the morning, you know? It's like, what are you doing? And these opportunities just pass them right by.

 

(17:25 - 17:54)

And then after they pass them right by, they talk about like their own kind of hardship or how they don't get opportunities or things don't kind of line up for them. Like this is all mindset, but it's all just kind of missing the boat here. No matter how long the opportunity presents itself, the process is similar, right? You recognize the opportunity.

 

(17:54 - 18:05)

You see there is an opportunity presenting itself. You kind of question it. Like, is this an opportunity? What is this? You discover the opportunity.

 

(18:07 - 18:42)

You evaluate the opportunity. You consider your options. Okay, so like, what is this thing about? What's going on? You know, what could I do about it? How does this connect with me, right? What would my moves be? Depending on the scenario, like your discovery process, like I said, you can ask questions, you can have conversations, discussions about it, but it depends on the context, right? And then you must act.

 

(18:43 - 18:53)

You must make a move. You must make a decision. It's often a courageous choice that is required.

 

(18:54 - 19:13)

You must believe in your ability to do it. I am encouraging you, no matter how much experience you have or not, believe in that you can do it. If it's presenting itself to you, it's because the universe, I'll suggest, believes you're ready to receive it or engage in that or participate.

 

(19:15 - 19:29)

So trust in that and step into it and see what happens, but it's an opportunity. It's not a guarantee. This isn't an episode on seizing guarantees.

 

(19:29 - 20:08)

It's seizing an opportunity, and that opportunity could turn into X, Y, and Z. It could turn into all of your greatest dreams. It could turn into a tremendous deal that you sign or a new friendship or all kinds of stuff, right? But you don't know if you don't act on it. But what you do know is if you just let opportunities pass you by, that none of those things are going to happen, necessarily, right? Life is an opportunity.

 

(20:09 - 20:23)

You want to get really meta about it. This whole journey we're on is an opportunity. What are you doing about that? What do you want to do about that? The world is your canvas.

 

(20:25 - 20:53)

Now, we can get into the weeds of a statement like that, obviously, and say, in some parts of the world, opportunity is not equal in some cultures and a whole bunch of things, right? But generally speaking, right? We want to embrace a mindset that is, I am not a victim of circumstance. I am a creator of my life experience. I'm a creator of my world.

 

(20:54 - 21:24)

And so with that hat on, what are we doing? What do you want to do? This whole life is an opportunity. And within our lives or within our journey, we are presented with opportunities of different shapes and sizes that can help move us forward towards our dreams. Now, certainly, those that are more aligned with those dreams are more likely to be the ones that you move on.

 

(21:25 - 21:45)

And those that aren't are ones that you may pass on. But you also may not know right away whether it's supportive or not. So it's important to just not necessarily pass you by without considering it.

 

(21:45 - 22:23)

And also considering the possibilities, the unknowns, whatever, right? Maybe you're a dancer and you chat with Taylor about potato chips and she brings you to the show after and then you get along so well, you join like her dance team or something. I haven't been to a Taylor Swift concert, I don't know. I think she dances a bit, doesn't she? But you know what I'm saying? So you also wanna embrace the unknown of where that opportunity can lead.

 

(22:23 - 22:39)

You're not going to get the end point at the first move. But if you evaluate the opportunity, you can possibly see where that could go if the stars align and it keeps opening up in a certain direction. But you need to act.

 

(22:42 - 23:09)

And depending on what scenario, there's different ways to act upon something, right? Ask for a period of time to consider the opportunity. Lock up the opportunity for a review period, right? Like kind of known as like an option or a first refusal maybe in business. You know, time to consider something.

 

(23:12 - 23:52)

You know, it's really, that's probably the biggest is to determine how big the window of opportunity is and kind of lock that in to give yourself time to consider the pros and cons of it. And then feel into what's coming up for you, what feels right or wrong about it and trust those instincts and then make a move and try it. And the thing with opportunities too is that, look, you know, it may or may not work out ultimately, but another opportunity will come by.

 

(23:55 - 24:27)

Opportunities come by all the time. We go about our day and opportunities present themselves. So it's okay if it doesn't work out, but if you don't explore any of these opportunities that present themselves to you, then none of them are definitely gonna work out, right? So there's also an openness, I think, if you want to seize an opportunity that is, you know, appropriate and valuable.

 

(24:27 - 25:05)

It's just a perspective on life is to explore new things that come up, ask questions about them, put your hat in the ring, let people know that you're interested in the opportunity they've presented and you're interested in considering it. Let others know, even when opportunities aren't presenting themselves, that you're looking for new opportunities, that you're open to new opportunities and ideas. I remember I was cast once in a commercial and I had said to a colleague of mine, I said, yeah, you know, I'm gonna just throw my hat in this ring a little bit.

 

(25:05 - 25:20)

I feel like, you know, expressing myself some more and doing some more creative stuff and whatever. And that was like months earlier or something. And then I ran into him in the street one day and he's like, hey, we're casting this commercial right now.

 

(25:20 - 25:36)

And he's like, you'd actually be perfect for this. Do you have time to come in and like meet production stuff? I said, sure, let's do it, right? And they ended up casting me for the spot, the production, the director and all that loved me and my look and everything, which is cool. Appreciate that.

 

(25:37 - 26:28)

And we shot this commercial and it was super fun, but it came by also just sharing with others what type of opportunities I'm looking for. So when I connect with people in my network, I ask the people I'm connecting with, hey, what's going on with you? How's everything going? What are you looking for out there? What do you need, right? And then vice versa, they tend to ask that of me. And then you have a network that knows what you're after and you know what they're after and then you can kind of help bring opportunities to each other, right? So that's another kind of way to navigate.

 

(26:30 - 27:39)

But the big thing is, and it's for you to evaluate for yourself, is how many opportunities am I creating for myself every day? Am I doing everything I can? And I don't mean in like a stressed out, you know, excessive hustle, you know, exhaustive way. Am I doing everything I can? Just what are the different ways I can create more opportunities for myself? And that could be creating social content, which isn't for everybody, but it is a way because it, you know, connects you with your audience and your network and similar and reminds them of you and can share, you know, and help you be top of mind with them when they're looking for people to work with or people to, you know, consider for certain things or to share opportunities with. And we'll say this, like, maybe that's, it depends on the platform, right? Maybe that's an Instagram thing.

 

(27:40 - 27:56)

Maybe it's a Twitter thing. LinkedIn, if it's related to business, is a great place, obviously. What you may or may not be active in, you know, even for jobs and whatnot, like LinkedIn and big ones.

 

(27:56 - 28:37)

So like, you should be sure to at least have your professional side polished up and presented on LinkedIn. And then otherwise, like in community, you know, are you getting out of the house? Are you going to events? Are you connecting with people? Are you spending time to just share and exchange ideas? There's the spontaneity of even just going out solo and exploring and letting whatever magic comes to you, right? But you can meet that there also. Like maybe there's an event in the city and you can kind of make a note of that.

 

(28:37 - 29:04)

And maybe you get there, maybe you don't. But if you get yourself into a flow of events and social opportunities to connect with other people, then, you know, that's going to help create opportunity for you. So those are some like really kind of simple ways that really don't cost anything to start creating more opportunity for yourself.

 

(29:05 - 29:45)

And if you're not sure, you know, meditate on it a bit, just reflect on it, make some notes of like, what type of opportunities am I looking for? And then start talking to others about them. But equally watch for the opportunities that present themselves that are in alignment with your path and dreams and visions and goals, because in one, you know, interpretation, right? You are calling those in as they appear, you're manifesting those. So, you know, receive them and keep an open spirit, keep your eyes open and watch for these.

 

(29:46 - 30:20)

And then evaluate them, engage with them, evaluate them. And then, you know, once you've evaluated, if they feel right, then make a move on them. I've watched so many people miss great, terrific, tremendous opportunities that they just are indecisive and they don't have the confidence in making a move to try something and then complain that they don't get or have opportunities like, nobody can do this work for you.

 

(30:21 - 30:38)

This is your journey. You have to make those moves for yourself. And so in this, it's important to develop your ability, your strength, your confidence in exploring and making moves and opportunities that make sense.

 

(30:40 - 31:11)

There's like, how many billion people are we at 8 billion people in the world now? Let's look at more kind of business related opportunities, right? Like an investment or like a product trend or like, you know, a job posting or an acquisition. You know, real estate's a great example. Maybe you really like that place.

 

(31:11 - 31:33)

Looking at the place and you're like, wow, that's an amazing place. You know, like that's worth X. But it's on the market for Y. Wow, I really like that. So what are you gonna do if you have the wherewithal to acquire that? Are you just gonna sit there and stare at that thing for months? It's not gonna be there for months.

 

(31:33 - 32:06)

There's all these other people looking at it at the same time also, and that's the thing. So when people kind of like, home and you know, I'm at home and kind of, well, I don't know. And you know, well, other people figure it out in the meantime and then the opportunity's gone, right? So you do want to also suggest, you know, be a little bit competitive for yourself when you see an opportunity, evaluate efficiently with the time that's required and make a move.

 

(32:09 - 32:49)

And from that, what's the worst that can happen? You know, it's negligible. But what's the best that can happen if it works out? This is the thing that is an important skill to master is seizing opportunity. It is fundamental to doing great business, moving your life forward, realizing dreams, all of this stuff.

 

(32:50 - 33:17)

Some of the best business I've done has carried these types of, you know, characteristics. It usually does because when opportunities are presented to me, they don't last long. And so I've cultivated and developed a sense of myself where I am comfortable in my own process of evaluating them.

 

(33:18 - 33:47)

I am efficient and I move swiftly and reasonably aggressively when I see an opportunity that I know makes a lot of sense. I move intently, I move with action to seize the opportunity. And then from there, to realize and receive its fruits.

 

(33:48 - 34:04)

You know, but you're not, if you don't make a move on these things. I see so many people that don't. So some of these ideas in here are meant to help you create more opportunity for yourself and seize more opportunity for yourself.

 

(34:05 - 34:20)

And the time to start doing that is today. And you're only gonna get better at it, but don't be afraid to make the move. It's always pros and cons, right? So when we make these moves, like there's no guarantees, there's risks in it, or there's risk in everything.

 

(34:22 - 34:40)

Maybe you, you know, try and say hi to Taylor Swift about her potato chips and she scoffs at you, right? I don't think she's going to do that. But that's the worst thing that could happen. And who cares, you know? So make the move, right? But evaluate pros and cons.

 

(34:41 - 34:56)

If this works, this, that's great. If this doesn't work, okay, that's the potential downside. What we want to do is we want to maximize, in maximizing our opportunities, we want to maximize the upside potential of what we do and minimize the risk.

 

(34:57 - 36:34)

So as long as when you look at, you know, do I want to move on this opportunity or not, and you're evaluating that circumstance, you want to consider that ratio, right? What is the risk reward here? And then from there, make that move, make things happen and see what happens, you know? There's a little kind of motto to live by, like at least if you're going to make moves on things and you're going to take a shot at stuff and similar, just make sure that the downside isn't fatal, right? So like, if I'm placing a bet, I don't place a bet with like all of my chips because if I am wrong, then I lose everything, you know? So it's, that is really kind of the big footnote to all of that is that when evaluating opportunities, I consider like, what is the upside if this all works? What is the downside if it doesn't? And if the downside is small, but the upside is massive, it's a no brainer to make the move and give it a shot. And if it doesn't work out, there will be another one and carry on, you know what I mean? But just, I implore you, I send it with love. Don't be one of those people who just doesn't do anything.

 

(36:35 - 37:04)

Opportunities are trying to find you. They're passing you by every day. So work that muscle, develop that muscle to see them, to recognize them, to measure them, to consider them, develop that confidence to act upon them and make your moves because if you do and you get really good at that, then, you know, it's gonna transform your whole life.

 

(37:04 - 37:22)

And if you're not great at it right now, it's okay. Hey, you're right here and every best day is still in front of you. So take that first step wherever you are right now, step into your day, be open to opportunities, consider them, evaluate them.

 

(37:22 - 37:37)

If you like them, make a move and make a move before other people figure it out because they're not gonna be there forever. So you gotta make the move. If you liked this episode, let me know what you thought.

 

(37:37 - 38:01)

About seizing opportunities, let me know the kinds of opportunities you seized. And I'm gonna keep flowing, you know, what kind of opportunities am I looking for? Maybe I'll just add this little footnote to this episode if you're listening and you wanna kind of jam with me. Look, I enjoy working with people that are interested in personal growth and transforming their own lives.

 

(38:01 - 38:25)

I often support people who approach me looking for some guidance on the same. I work with companies, startups a lot, most often public companies. More advanced is great, like growth stage, but it's not always what I'm involved with.

 

(38:25 - 39:01)

I do work with companies that are struggling, that are looking for strategies to turn themselves around. So those types of opportunities and groups of people, if you're interested in working with me, you're all welcome to reach out and connect with me to explore. I do help and work with more independent entrepreneurs, creative and otherwise, solopreneurs in e-commerce and similar, help build brands, build online marketing and sales systems.

 

(39:01 - 39:29)

And more to help you grow your independent business. I work with creative professionals in film, in media, a whole bunch of different things. So maybe you wanna have me on your podcast or you'd like me to jump into your commercial spot or your next film or similar, I'm open-minded.

 

(39:32 - 39:49)

I've done some of that stuff and I have a bit of experience doing it. So I'm happy to consider things like that. Collaborative content, sponsored content with respect to my brand and the things I do.

 

(39:49 - 40:12)

I also definitely advise a lot of companies as a strategic advisor, as I was alluding to on the public side. So if you're running a public company and you're building your team, let's talk about that. And those are just some things that I'm about and I'm open to receiving opportunities in.

 

(40:12 - 40:37)

And as I say it out loud, the universe hears me and we'll bring more of these in for myself. So you can do that also is say aloud what you're seeking and start calling it in. Until next time, invite you to follow the podcast as I keep dropping new episodes, as I feel so inspired about personal growth and business entrepreneurship and similar.

 

(40:38 - 40:51)

And if you wanna reach out, connect with me at any of the links below. And until the next one, I'm wishing you an amazing day. Have a good one.