Posted By Ephran Price
Over the years, many have passed-up great opportunities just to realize later on in life they could have gone to the top or become very wealthy had they seized the opportunity at the time!
All of us have had great opportunities in our life that gave us a chance to succeed beyond our wildest dreams. At the time, we probably got excited because we saw the potential of the opportunity, and we immediately began to daydream, visualize and contemplate where it might lead us. We could feel it in our gut! Our intuition was screaming yes, yes, yes!
Then somehow, the moment slipped through our fingers and was lost to the past as surely as the page of a history book is turned. Never to be viewed by that student again!
Have you ever asked yourself why? Why have great opportunities escaped your grip? Why do some people have greater success than others? Is it luck? Is it destiny? Is it because those “other” people were in the right place at the right time and you were not? I can tell you, there was a time when I asked myself those very same questions!
It’s true, we all pass up opportunities in our lives that offered us life-changing rewards. Yes… all of us! Opportunity is not given to just a special few. We are not especially chosen by destiny, fortune or lady luck. It is not in the cards or in the telling of the stars! The truth is… it is merely a matter of choice!
So! What is the difference between those who are the so-called “fortunate” and those who are not? The achievers and the winners, as we think of them, are the people who seized an opportunity when it presented itself while others did not.
There are many reasons why people miss-out on great opportunities, and procrastination is the number one cause!
When an opportunity arises, they evaluate, they consider, they ponder and simply procrastinate until the opportunity is gone. Out of site out of mind as the old saying goes. Why do they do this to themselves?
They procrastinate because… they lack confidence.
They procrastinate because… they fear failure.
They procrastinate because… they fear success.
They procrastinate because… they fear criticism.
They procrastinate because… they fear change.
They procrastinate because… they fear the unknown.
They procrastinate because… they fear risk.
Lost opportunities are caused by fear-based procrastination. Fear of one or more of the above conditions or perhaps other causes not mentioned here. One thing is for sure! Procrastination brought on by fear takes hold very quickly and the opportunity… lost forever.
The results of the process are usually the same for all. Procrastination prevents most people from achieving many great and wonderful things in their lives.
I suppose they procrastinate because they are afraid they could fail or because they fear, their decision might be the wrong decision! They are afraid of taking a chance! They are afraid they might not have the right stuff! They are afraid they will loose money! They are afraid their family and friends will ridicule them and on and on and on!
Fear is a powerful enemy! It forms a strong alliance with procrastination and keep people from achieving their goals and realizing their dreams.
That is what it is really all about. Opportunity, realized or not realized, is simply a matter of choice… Those who take the “risk” increase their chances of success many times over because they do not fear the outcome of their decision, right or wrong. They seize the opportunity and go on to achieve their goals. Those who would not “risk” let the opportunity get away, never to achieve that which they so sincerely desired.
When you have a gut feeling that a great opportunity is at hand, how do you react? Do you follow your intuition? If not, why not? Is it Fear? Do you procrastinate and put off making a decision until it is too late and the opportunity is gone?
When offered an opportunity, everyone goes through the same process of making a decision. The difference between “us and them” is “they” have confidence in themselves and their abilities and do not let fear rule their lives. No room for procrastination here, the opportunity is quickly evaluated, and acted on.
I could mention Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, J. Paul Getty, Aristotle Onassis, Walt Disney, and so many other great achievers from around the world but I need not. Just remember that they did not quit. They continued to learn and work in their trade until they were at the top.
Failure only comes to those who quit. Another way to look at it is, “you only fail if you quit”. So remember this, You can not fail if you do not quit and “yes”… you do have the right stuff… We all do!
Here is some good news… There is a simple way to build confidence and in doing so, people will decrease their fears and increase their ability to achieve their most desired goals!
Here It Is…
The simple remedy for confidence is “Knowledge”! Knowledge gives people confidence in the area they are knowledgeable about. The old cliché “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is absolute rubbish. Very few people are incapable of learning so there is no reason for knowledge to be a barrier in their lives. The majority of people have the ability to learn new things and now with the maturing of the Computer Age and the World Wide Web, knowledge is as simple as “one finger typing” and the ability to push the “enter” key. If people have a desire to learn new things, they can do so very easily these days...
So, what am I saying? I am saying learn everything you can about what you are interested in then make up your mind to continue to increase your knowledge as you apply that which you have learned. Knowledge builds confidence! Be determined that you will never quit and that you will increase your knowledge in your chosen subject or field until you achieve your goals. This is how to build character and confidence in any walk-of-life.
Did I hear you say “John”, are your sure”?
Proof In Fact
The great achievers of our world became “King of The Hill” in their chosen fields because of their knowledge and because they never quit! Just imagine if Thomas Edison did not have some knowledge about what he was trying to do when he was inventing the light bulb. What would the results have been if he did not continually develop his knowledge as he was in the experimental stage!
What would have happened if Thomas Edison quit after the light bulb failed to endure on the 1000th try! His name would not have gone down in the history books as one of the greatest inventors the world has ever known. Quitters fail! Knowledge and confidence, with a lot of persistence, invented the light bulb… and Thomas Edison had both.
I could give you many similar examples of people who are at the top of their game and prove to you that it took knowledge and confidence to get it done.
The lead guitar player in a famous rock band had to learn the chords and techniques of playing a guitar before playing in front of thousands of people with confidence and expertise.
Firefighters do not immediately grab a hose and fight a fire without knowing how! They do not climb a ladder to rescue someone from sure death without first acquiring the knowledge and developing the skills of the many heroes that came before them. Surely, you must agree that firefighters must have confidence before they take on the challenges on the job, and how does the firefighter develop confidence? Knowledge, it is that simple!
John C. Maxwell, author, founder of the Maximum Impact Club and world-renowned speaker, did not start out at the top of his chosen profession. He began developing his skills when he was a child learning how to read and write just as all of us do. Where would anyone be today if they did not gain the knowledge of the pre-school and school years?
John C. Maxwell could not be an author and writer of books if he did not know how to write and he surely could not be a world-renowned speaker if he had not learned to talk in front of large audiences. He had to acquire the knowledge and develop his skills before he would have the confidence it would take to stand in front of so many people and give life–changing speeches that would take him to the top of his profession, and go to the top he did!
Think about this! When someone starts out in a new job, career, or profession as an apprentice, an intern, a novice, student, rookie, or trainee, did they already possess all the knowledge and expertise required to begin at the top? No! Chances are it took several years to perform at a higher level of competency and many more years of experience before they became the expert, mentor or leader in their company or organization. What is it that gets them to the top? It’s knowledge!
How about you? Where did you start? How long did it take before you were confident enough to converse with people in your industry who had years of experience? I’ll bet as your knowledge increased, your confidence grew, and you found it easier to converse with them on a higher level. I’m sure that at some point, you began to train and mentor others. When you become the mentor, you also become the leader and the person others look up to, depend on, and admire. In truth, you become the leader and the “Expert” in their eyes. Knowledge builds confidence and confidence builds leaders!
Conclusions And Final Comments!
Nothing builds confidence faster than knowledge. It is knowledge that produces our leaders. Without knowledge most people are but pawns in life, left to the whims of those who posses the “magical” know how. Without knowledge and the confidence knowledge produces, people will not risk too create or try new things. People only advance, individually or as a society, where knowledge is present. Inventors, scientists, industrialist, philosophers, small and creative business owners all paved the road of knowledge and made peoples lives better. Their knowledge was put into action because their confidence was high. The two go hand in hand!
If people do not increase their knowledge, their minds wither and progress is halted!
Finally, knowledge is easy to acquire and in this day and age, there are no excuses for sitting on the sidelines of life while watching other people excel…
Only procrastination brought on by fear to risk keeps people from becoming the “Top Dog” and anyone can be “Number 1”. It just takes a little knowledge, confidence and ambition.
As people begin to learn, they will find out very quickly that a little knowledge will increase their confidence and take them a long way. Knowledge or the lack thereof determines their path and many people do not realize the importance of education after their school years. People get out of school and believe their learning years are behind them and the truth is their learning years are just beginning if they plan to excel to any degree.
Fact is, most people, when hired, only learn as much as they need to do the job and then they become satisfied and happy to be right where they are. They feel secure and do not try to progress any farther because they are happy right where they are. In essence, people believe they are right where they want to be.
Only years later, when they see other people advance ahead of them, do they realize that with a little knowledge and confidence the promotion would have been theirs.
Where is all this knowledge to be found, you ask? The sources are unlimited. Here are a few of the most common: parents, friends, mentors, local business owners, clubs, schools, libraries, bookstores, online stores, and the many and unlimited sources of free information on the Internet. They do not call the World Wide Web “The Information Highway” for nothing. You can find information all over the web on just about every subject you can imagine and much of it is free for the asking.
When opportunity knocks, will you answer the call?
I wish success to all of you and do not forget to increase your knowledge, build your confidence, risk, move to the top and prosper!
John D. Giusto
webmaster@steps2freedom.com
Our extra income from DirectMatches gave me the opportunity to retire early and for my wife, June, to quit working years ahead of schedule.
John Giusto
I have been involved in several different MLM companies over the past 25 years. DirectMatches is the first one that has worked and worked successfully for me. It is the easiest and most fun opportunity I have ever worked.
June Giusto
Business Action starts it All
Ephran Price
http://www.directmatches.com/ephran
