How To Make The Best Use Of Opportunities When They Come

One mistake a lot of people make when they get access is to think they have to rush and “chop kwik”, talking about “Opportunity comes but once”

That’s how they not only mess things up, they also perpetuate misconceptions and generalizations that will affect those coming after then.

They introduce you to rich people and all you do is beg for money and lament about all your problems. All you do is try to chop chop chop chop. Take take take take. Some even have parents and kins who tell them “quickly get or take what you can now and as soon as you can”.

You see free wifi, next thing you are downloading 60 episodes of one season “feem” laidat.

Or you get access to buffet and you don sharperly unfurl two big sacks from nowhere to pack everything after chopping and forcing some extra food inside your throat as jara.

That’s not taking advantage of opportunity.

That’s not how to take advantage of opportunity.

To take advantage of opportunity means that even before you have access, you are ready. Your skills are ready for them to use. You are in a position where you can give as well. It means instead of meeting Don Jazzy and prostrating on the floor begging for a chance, you have a tape to play for him to listen and go ‘hmmm, this is interesting”

Opportunity means you are in a place where you have the chance to show your abilities not your problems. To show what you can give, what you can contribute not what you can take, take, take.

In other words you already take advantage of the opportunity before it even shows.

If you see opportunity today and start running around trying to maximize it, you have already failed.

That’s why one place motivational speakers will forever get it right is the place where they say work on yourself. Improve yourself.

The reason why “Opportunity comes but once” is because you as a person, you don’t have much to give. Because if you do, everywhere you turn, you will see opportunities. You will see chances to put your abilities to work. To make something out of what you have , what you know and who you are.

When you are given access, your first thought shouldn’t be “How can I pack all this jollof inside this bag laidis make i dey warm am dey go?”

That’s the mindset of a misfit.

Because you see an opportunity doesn’t mean throwing away your dignity.

Opportunity doesn’t mean you have to self-dehumanize and make a caricature of yourself and literally say “please look down on my pathetic self.” It pisses people off. It makes them close the door fast before you don even commot leg from welcome mat.

I remember saying years ago that “because someone’s has opportunity doesn’t mean something will come out of it.”

It is harsh, but it is life.

Again I say, Because someone has opportunity doesn’t mean something will come out of it.

That’s life. You can prepare and prepare and still fail at the big stage. That’s life too. I remember one nations cup Nigeria played. I think the one we lost to Ghana in the knockout stages. The coach was getting criticism for playing Stephen Makinwa even though he was having bad game after bad game.

Something the coach said stuck with me. “I am just as surprised as you,” he told the journalists, “because he’s our best striker in training.”

Anyways Nigeria got knocked out and Makinwa was never called back to the Super Eagles.

Some peoples are stars in training. They excel at preparation but fail at the big stage .

That’s life. It happens.

Demeaning yourself each time you are given access won’t earn you a place at the table. You earn a place at the table because you bring something to the table. Because you have something to give.

What you do when you have access is respect yourself, respect the person(s) who opened the door for you, and respect the people inside.

The way the door opened to let you in is exactly how it can open to dump you out.

Even if nothing comes out of that opportunity at least leave a good impression. Even if you don’t get the chance again, at least you didn’t leave your dignity behind to be used as a rag for spilled Moet.

Instead, you just keep building you and watching out for other chances. Because that’s also life; it is one big bus stop where, if you wait long enough, another bus comes along. Just hold your side well. No free ride.

~ Hymar Idibie

Almost every single day, I observe tens of persons fritter away opportunities because of three main reasons. They don’t know what opportunity looks like. They’re opportunists and they’re desperate.

Many bring their miseries, victimhood, immediate needs or wants and greed to bare when presented with an opportunity.

Yes, you have ‘suffered’ in life, but that doesn’t mean that opportunity given to you must be used to solve all of your life’s problems. Both past, present and future.

You’re given opportunity to make a sale after maybe about several weeks, months or years of sales drought and the next thing is that you inflate the Proforma Invoice with all your past, present and future financial needs and months.

The worst are even parents who encourage their adult children to ‘take everything and get everything they can if the opportunity presents itself’.

This was written by Hymar Idibie and Olajide Abiola