An opportunity – something so many people would die for (metaphorically of course). Many attribute a lack of success to not having been provided with the opportunity, the chance which would have taken them to the next level. Having played a vast amount of sport to a high level as I was growing up, I was able to witness this phenomenon. Boys and girls with what seemed like unlimited amounts of potential and talent would grow tired of not being recognised. This tiredness would be quickly morph into frustration, sometimes developing into anger, bitterness and jealousy. The usual destination for this route would be for the individual to pack it in – leaving many, including themselves wondering what could’ve been.
I always questioned why these gifted people were not provided with an opportunity. It seemed almost unfair that people of such high calibre could be overlooked. Many of us have experienced the same thing in different capacities. The tears, the heartache, the questions to oursleves. But then I wondered, have we done all we can do to be deserving of a chance?
Have you injected all the effort you could – plus a little more? If there’s one thing which I have learned over the years is that things are not always within our control. Life can throw you an unexpected roll of the die at any moment, so it’s useless worrying about what is going to happen. Instead more energy should be applied to the things within our control – in this instance namely our effort. We decide how much effort we wish to put in, and if you wish to be successful, you must give whatever you’re doing your all. Always bear in mind when we reach what we think to be our limit, there’s a little further we can go. Our boundaries are our own perceptions – we restrict ourselves according to how far we THINK we can go – and therefore usually inaccurate.
Have they injected passion into their activities? Passion is key. It gives you additional value to your achievements, because there is no better feeling than being successful at something you love. Passion also has a huge link to effort; it provides an extra spark which will take you over hurdles and issues by making the effort worth it. I know more than anyone when you face a problem (or multiple setbacks), it can be disheartening. Makes you question your direction. But passion overcomes this feeling because you enjoy what you do. You genuinely want to keep going, which will keep you pushing.
Have you learned from your mistakes as you have gone on? Mistakes are inevitable. They are unavoidable. I have never met anyone who has not tripped up along the road. So be prepared to make mistakes, it’s not an issue. What you should concentrate on is learning from your mistakes. To quote one of my favourite sayings ‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.’ If you happen to make a blunder, you must realise where you went wrong, then adjust accordingly for the future. Otherwise you risk making the same error again, and making no progress.
Have you really put yourself out there? There are approx 7,096,777,390. In the world, meaning it is relatively likely someone else is attempting to be successful at what you are doing. Even more likely that number is up in the hundreds of thousands range. So no one is going to knock at your door, handing you an opportunity. You need to put yourself out there – get to the middle of the road so opportunity can meet you half-way. Take action. Do what you do everyday. Practice. Network. Be proactive. But never sit and wait for the chance to come to you – you’ll be waiting a long time.