I have been studying the wealthy for some time now.  I aspire to be wealthy eventually, so naturally I started following successful people and working toward goals that will help me achieve this.  By studying the wealthy I was able to notice that many rich and successful people maintain their wealth because of opportunities.  Many people believe that the rich are simply born into wealth, which is accurate to a certain degree.  The general misconception here is that the rich are always rich.  The reality is that the rich actually maintain their wealth.  How do they do this?  They stay rich because of opportunities.

Did you ever notice that the rich and wealthy hardly pay retail?  Average people love  a bargain sale, and so do the rich.  The rich are able to seize financial opportunities because of their connections and their financial position.  For instance, we all hear how a super wealthy person is able to buy a $6 million wedding ring.  Now that is outrageous.  Who has the means and ability to actually pay that price?  The reality that we don’t see is that, that very same person who bought that ring actually paid $500,000.  The fact is, the ring was sold at a “player” price.  In this situation both parties were able to seize opportunities.  The opportunity rose for the jeweller to sell a valuable ring to a successful and rich person.  This brought about publicity and popularity for that said store.  This was a brilliant marketing strategy for both parties.  The successful person seized the opportunity to purchase a high end custom ring at a fraction of the price simply by using his popularity and influence.  This allows the wealthy person to maintain his wealth by seizing the chance to save money while purchasing something of high value.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to come across opportunities specifically like this.  But, the reality is we all get opportunities all the time, even if it’s something small, and it’s up to us to see and seize it.  It is up to us as individuals to seize those chances we get to be treated like true “players”.  For instance, you may not have the financial sources or right connections to attend a conference, but then an opportunity arises where you can attend for free as a student, intern or colleague.  Sure it may not seem all that glamorous in the moment because you won’t be sitting right next to the keynote speaker, and you may even feel a little inadequate because you didn’t pay for it, but nonetheless you still get to attend.

For a significant portion of my life I was unable to read the many signs and opportunities that life threw my way.  My eyes, ears, heart and mind were closed off to all the wondrous things this world offered.  Recently, however, I was able to seize an opportunity and gain a lot by doing so.  I was able to attend “Simply Meditation” which is normally a $250 mediation workshop, all for free.  My friend, who is a meditation teacher and life coach, recently launched her business.  Her connections led her to meet some very inspirational people.  Specifically, she met an Atma Kriya yoga Guru who lives in the States.  She was able to fly her to Canada and conduct a weekend workshop.  I was unable to attend the workshop because of my financial situation.  However, my friend suggested that she would personally teach me the course instead of the Guru for free since I couldn’t attend.  My first instinct was to say no way, I am not going to learn something half-assed.  But, this time I tried to look at it as, “Hey I’m getting to learn the technical skills I need for absolutely free, so what do I have to lose?”

This simple shift in my attitude helped me gain so much more than what I expected.  I got to rekindle my friendship with my friend.  We caught up on old times.  I then learned all the technical skills one on one and was able to ask questions to help clarify my doubts.  I also got connected directly to the Guru and was invited to attend another meditation workshop, which she would be conducting, again for free.   Had I chosen to act like how I always did in the past, I would never have learned what I learned.  Also, I would never have made the connection that I did.  Because I took the chance, I was able to retain information that would’ve cost me up to $500, for free and like a true “player”.  These are the opportunities I am talking about.  These are the chances that we all come across from time to time that we fail to recognize.  Take chances that you normally wouldn’t see the value in and you’ll surprise yourself.  By practicing seizing opportunities you will see an abundance of opportunities throughout life.  Going forward, there will never be an opportunity too small or too big that I will not seize!  I will be treated like a true “player” in every situation.

Time to reflect:

Take a few minutes to evaluate your life.  Go back and see how many opportunities you missed out on simply because you weren’t receptive to the signs.  Did you ever have a chance to do something but you chose not do it because you felt it wasn’t good enough or didn’t meet your exact expectations?  If that’s the case, think about what you would’ve done differently.  Would you have attended that show, conference or date?  Then visualize what other opportunities you may have opened up simply because you seized that chance.  By doing this you are forcing yourself to look at things through a new set of eyes.  Practice doing this and next time an opportunity prsents itself look at both scenarios.  Outline what you will gain and lose by seizing versus not seizing.  Concentrate more on what you will miss out on by not seizing the opportunity.  Think about every new chance as your last chance and you will soon see the value in seizing every opportunity that comes your way.  

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” ~ Thomas A. Edison