I've written before about seizing opportunity in an earlier post that had to do with consulting, but the issue has made its way onto my radar screen again as of this past weekend, and I thought I should re-address it in a more generic way.

 

I was out on Saturday making the rounds scouring the clearance bins at a couple of big box office supply stores when I came a cross a framed poster that caught my eye. It was in the foyer of the store with a bunch of other items, and I did a double take, stopped myself dead in my tracks then focused in on the item.

 

The poster was one of those motivational prints from Successories. You remember them. They used to set up kiosks in the mall and sell their inspirational and motivational posters, awards, and desktop accessories. I used to have one of their desktop accessories on my desk. It was a piece of faux granite, and on it was the following inscription:

 

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity"

 

Often attributed to Ben Franklin or Albert Einstein, those words ring true for me as a recruiting professional. My guess is that some of you reading this might find some relevance in those words too. But I digress, so we'll go back to the poster that stopped me cold.

 

The poster was about 24" x 30", matted, and framed in a simple but elegant black frame. It was a picture of a lighthouse, alone on the edge of a cliff, its beacon reaching out into the stillness of the harbor. The sky was red and cloudy, a sailor's indication of either a beautiful night of calm seas ahead, or the impending, relentless morning storm, I can't tell which. The inscription underneath the poster said:

 

"S U C C E S S"

 

"The secret of success in life is to be ready for opportunity when it comes"

 

I read it again, and the wheel started turning. I turned to go inside the store and stopped again, unable to resist taking another look. Something inside was speaking to me, clearly, distinctively. I turned to walk away and again, I stopped in my tracks. I turned back to the poster, picked it up and looked for a price. There was none, but it didn't matter, it was coming home with me.

 

$20.00 later I walk out of the store with this bit of motivational kitsch, and took it home where it now sits in all of its oversized glory in the tiny little corner that has become my home office. It is there as a reminder for me, and should serve as a reminder for you too.

 

Do you know opportunity when you see it? If you strive to be successful, you damned well better recognize it, and quickly, because opportunity tends to be fleeting at best, and you need to be able to seize it before it slips past you, never to be seen again. Success most definitely lies in the ability to seize opportunity. Whether it be in your networking activities, the interview you're about to prepare for, or in the negotiations phase of the pending job offer, opportunity will present itself, and you need to recognize it. More importantly, you need to be quick to react and go straight for the jugular. Anything less and you're left in the dust. Ask yourself the following question: "Are you ready for opportunity when it comes knocking?" I am, I've seized it, and am ready to reap success as a reward for my efforts.

 

Now if I could just get my hands on the Successories poster with the boxing analogy.....