What qualities do the people who access the biggest opportunities have that you don’t?
Luck? Talent? Persistence? Resources? Connections? Good looks?
Possibly all of the above.
Why them and not you?
Whilst all of the above qualities and many more besides might help some people, if you hang around waiting for the big opportunities to fall into your lap then you will be waiting a long long time.
So, how do you put yourself in the position to seize the big opportunities? The big job. The big client. The big deal.
You need the mental toughness and the drive, initiative, persistence and confidence it brings you, to get yourself in the position where you can access the biggest and the best opportunities.
One of the features of mentally tough people is that they don’t just do enough –they have the mindset to constantly strive to be the best they can be and that involves being ‘on the move’ to a better place.
Here are four ways to put yourself in the best possible position;
- Have a plan
…..and a purpose and a dream and belief that you can make it happen, which includes accessing the biggest opportunities.
If its not you it will be someone. Why can’t that someone be you?
If you don’t know where you are going you will never get there which is why an overall plan is important. Why are you doing what you do (your purpose) and what is your mission or destination in 1-2 or 3 years time – a short enough timeframe to touch and live through, but long enough to give you perspective and to avoid riding the daily rollercoaster of emotions.
2. Make it happen
Do what you can to make it happen. Understanding that ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’, get started and “stay focused” doing something every day that will get you closer to achieving your plan. In the beginning you will likely experience extreme resistance to you making it happen – there will be vocal and visible reasons why you can’t on every corner but keep on going.
In one of his famous quotes, British statesman, Sir Winston Churchill said “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks” meaning keep on going if you believe in your project enough. Don’t let the naysayers and critics put you off working on the project or plan that will put you closer to seizing the biggest opportunities.
3. Be ready for anything
This is where your high level mental strength and toughness kicks in. You might have the best plans to proceed in a certain direction but anything and everything can, and sometimes does, happen. By learning to expect the unexpected and becoming comfortable being uncomfortable with a situation that might at first feel alien, you start to explore situations beyond your natural comfort zone.
You begin to see the possibilities that you didn’t see before and consider ways to change your situation for the better. You see and ultimately seize opportunities where you can best use your talents to change the situation in your favour.
You learn to accept that mistakes will happen and setbacks will occur but that these are part of the road to success not a barrier. You learn from your experience and work on being the best you can.
4. Be more positive
Because of the human inbuilt negativity bias it is natural to listen to your alternative inner voice and believe that you cant do something rather than you can.
Obviously you need to be capable to achieve a certain proficiency in what you do and be able to competently complete projects and tasks. However it is weighing up whether you need to be best practice (10/10) in everything you do or whether ‘fit for purpose’ (7/10) will suffice. Often covering more ground is ore important than achieving a perfect outcome.
Having the confidence to attempt more tasks, even if you don’t have the cast iron certainty that you will be right or perfect, will put you in more situations where you can seize the biggest opportunities.
Being more positive often comes from positive self talk – overriding your negative inner voice with positive reaffirmation – allowing yourself the opportunity to feel good about what you do and what you can achieve.
So, having a plan but being prepared for it sometimes not working out that way and having the confidence to push yourself into uncomfortable and new situations will enable you to identify big opportunities that were previously hidden and to then seize them as your own.
These four ways to seize the biggest opportunities represent the 4C’s of mental toughness –– Control, Commitment, Challenge and Confidence – which form the MTQ Plus which is the world’s leading mental toughness framework.