Maximize Opportunities
by Rudolf N. Nsang
Have you ever spoken to someone who won a great deal of money from some betting game or so but couldn’t really say what he did with the money? Well, I know of a man in my village who won XAF30 million (about $55.000) from a lotto game, and just two years later, he was back to his job — loading goods into trucks at the village square. It is not like his money was stolen or at some point disappeared mysteriously. He actually invested in commercial vehicles for public transportation, constructed a house for himself, opened up some grocery shops, and then had fun.
In the meantime, we may fail to recognize that the opportunity season is upon us because we simply are unable to predict when an opportunity will present itself to us or because we are not just adequately prepared. It could be very funny or stupid for life to give us opportunities and not inform us that it is our time. But given that reality, it is our responsibility to stay alert. Many young people in their late twenties and thirties are looking forward to opportunities that have already come their way. Just that they never realized it or made the best of it.
Are you in your prime days and just have no idea what’s going on?
Well, many people do not realize when their businesses are in top form and that they need to intensify their savings, invest in new businesses, buy shares in some companies, get married, build a house, or strategize a bit more. Most often, they keep hoping for better days ahead and think they are not doing as well as their peers. Worse still, some keep squandering money on fancy adventures, thinking their business will always boom.
How you manage the opportunities you have now will determine whether or not you will be trusted with more. You cannot grow if you do not make the most of every moment. In fact, people are watching you and how you use the chances God gives you. An opportunity is a breakthrough for great achievements and realizations in everyone’s life. If you do not use them when they come, you may end up poor and sad.
Halcyon days
In the majority of cases, the best opportunities come at a young age. Between the ages of twenty and forty, we have all the strength and time we need to maximize opportunities, however small they may be. This is the period within which we build our retirement. Opportunities to build healthy relationships and networks, a career, and trust show up during this period. If you are not quick to catch them, you lose them and only regret it in your fifties. Note that I said “in the majority of cases,” because meanwhile there are people who get the life-changing breakthrough even after age fifty, while others fail after having maximized opportunities.
When I talk of opportunities, I talk of everything: business, career, education, marriage, and so on. There is never really going to be a better time for you to start making the most of your life than now. I know of some men who’ve got the most entrepreneurial, caring, and respectful wives ever but keep cheating and making her feel uncomfortable. Only when they receive a divorce document do their eyes actually get opened. And, at this time, trust is gone, and things can never really be the same again, even if they sort things out. For others, they are having the best sales in their businesses, but instead of laying the foundation of their lives, they spend all they have on women and alcohol, dreaming that things will remain good and smooth till thy kingdom come. The truth is that things only get better for people who manage opportunities well.
Like Adekunle Gold says in his song titled “Ire”, “The grass is greener where we water the ground”. There are countless opportunities that come our way on a daily basis, but the problem is that we are often blind to seeing them. Some people are actually living at the pinnacle of their lives now but are blinded by ego, lack of vision, and laziness. Opportunities lost never actually come back, so you must wake up from sleep, open your eyes, and see what’s going on around you. Sometimes opportunities show up in the form of a business, a skill learned, a new inspiration, or even a person. The latter is almost always available, you know! Sometimes, the greatest opportunities we have are the people around us. However, because of their carelessness, some people only surround themselves with mediocre personalities who can’t take them anywhere more than a bar, a nightclub, or a gossip club.
You’ve got to take action NOW.
Opportunity maximization therefore means making the most of your current relationships, career, skills, business, and so on. You may be a taxi driver and think you are in the lowest of professions. But I know of a man in Bamenda who’s made a fortune out of truck pushing. Think of someone in your field who’s highly acclaimed in your region or even internationally (see) and think about what they did to become successful. You may only need to get a little more creative and innovative.
Google for new ways of doing things and set your mind on them until you find them. Sit back and do a check into the history of your earnings to see if you are at the peak. If so, start making plans for savings and investments because the curve will soon start falling. You may want to buy a piece of property or build a house — a venture that is always very hectic and inconceivable but becomes possible only when you start. You see, it is never time enough until you’re late.
Final Words
Well, having knowledge of this truth is not enough. You need to be keen on knowing when it is your time so much that you start making the most of it. If you feel this is the time for you to invest in a business, get a piece of land, start a serious relationship, or learn a new skill, get on your heels and run for it. Time waits for no Jack or Jill.
