Hey guys! Today I want to talk about seizing and creating opportunities
But before we jump right into it, let's lay down a simple definition of what seizing opportunity is
And in my opinion, I think it comes down to two points...
Solving problems
Realizing hope
Who doesn't want that? Who doesn't need that?
Everybody's looking forward to seize their next opportunity in life
The problem is chances are rare. They come and go every once in a while lasting only seconds of a moment
So, how do we capture, how do we hold on to these life-changing instants?
I'd like to put this in a metaphor
Imagine yourself in a soccer match, 90 minutes of time, 22 players on the field
Now here's a question
How much time do you expect to have control over the ball?
How much time do you think you'lll have the ball at your feet?
Guess
Three
Two
One
The answer is, according to stats...
on the average it's less than two minutes.
I know, quite shocking, right?
I was surprised too
And among all the players, the central forwards get the less time with merely 49 seconds plus and minus 43
So if you were the striker trying to make a goal, you would have at most 92 seconds in a 90 minute game to make that happen
What sets the top strikers apart from the others is the ability to do their magic in those 90 seconds
Chances come and go in an instant
They don't choose occasions
They don't wait until you're ready
They don't wait until you get into position
They don't come in from your preferred angle or when you expect
They don't attend to you
You attend to them
And so to catch your chances, here are three tips
First and number one
You have to be alert. You have to be focused. You have to always be on your toes...
that way when your opportunity comes in an instant, you can seize it in that moment
Just like players on the field, people who make the run every single moment are getting themselves in the best condition(position) to seize that chance of a shot
You don't wait for something good to happen, you attend to it
You attend to it so that you're making yourself capable, you're making yourself available of making something happen when the condition and time is right
That's number one
Second, number two
No, excuse
This is a very important mentality
One reason I like Lionel Messi so much is because of his attitude
Some people like to call him the dog man ... out of respect
because he's always so focused and concentrated on the ball
Trying to make plays, trying to make passes, trying to take shots
People know what magic he can do
So he often gets tackled
He often gets brutally fouled on
But he rarely goes down and cries for foul, nor does he look at the referee for cards
As long as he's capable of keeping himself in the game...
he'll get right back up and keep chasing the ball
He's so concentrated on trying to win that he doesn't have any time to whine or complain
And that's a winner's mentality
Your opportunity might come to you when life is treating you unfair
When you're down
When you're weak
When you're sick
When you're alone
When you're suffering
When you're strapped for cash
Are you gonna lie down and cry for foul?
Or are you gonna get up on your feet? Try to make that run? Try to make that play?
Attitude is very Important
'Cos opportunities do not attend to your needs
They're neutral. They come and go. There's no space for excuses
That's number two
Third and last, number three
This is something that we can all do beforehand
And that is to be well-prepared
When the ball comes right at you, you only have less than a second to put it in the back of the net
Even if you're focused...
Even if you're in the right position, even if you're in the right mindset...
You could still miss that game-changing shot if you don't have the proper skills
So to seize your right opportunities, you need to build your skills, your knowledge, your capabilities for months, years, if not more
You have to polish it to the extent it becomes a habit, a natural instinct
so that it'll come to use anytime, anywhere you need it to
In other words, you have to intentionally command yourself on and off the pitch
When you're off the pitch, command yourself to be disciplined
Train, learn, prepare yourself
When you're on the pitch, command yourself to be focused, alert, agile...
continuously making the run into position
And that is the same thing with everything in our lives
That is exactly how we should prepare ourselves to seize those opportunities in life
Chances come to those who run every day
You