Do What You Can, With What You Have, Where You Are

How many people today believe that they could achieve great things in life if only they had the right opportunities presented to them?

How many more believe that something out of their control always hinders their progress to get on in life? And that once fate and the stars align in their favor — they will surely succeed?

These people wait patiently for their luck to turn up, meanwhile changing nothing in their lives. The occasional opportunity to improve their circumstances presents itself here and there but because they can never recognize it, completely miss it.

Some people go insofar as saying that success is largely “a matter of luck and fortune,” and that no matter how good a person becomes, they can never succeed in life if fate does not allow them to. While indeed some do get a better head start — we all have the opportunity now to make amends for it.

“There is nobody whom Fortune does not visit at least once in his life,” goes the old proverb. “But when she finds that he is not ready to receive her, she goes in at the door, and out through the window.”

The secret is to be ready when she comes. The careless, slow and unobservant fail to see her, but those who are of ready mind see her at once and embrace her.

Effective people do not wait for something to turn up but they make it turn up by repeated consistent efforts. “A man who waits for a roast duck to fly into his mouth,” goes the old Chinese proverb, “will wait a very long time.” So too does the man who waits for fortune to come but does nothing to ensure that he is ready for it.

Opportunity must find you working. “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work,” says Edison.

Just like the fisherman and the fish, we must cast our rod into the river in order to catch the fish. The more we cast, the luckier we will get.

The moment we commit ourselves, providence will provide. By the act of doing — we set in motion a chain of events that will allow us to move forward towards the next thing — building upon the lessons from the past and making us even more capable in dealing with the next thing.

Effective people do not wait for grand events or opportunities to propel them forward, they actively seek after them. They find them in the day-to-day opportunities of life. In study and application, in daily habits and routines. These, when carefully utilized, propel them towards greater success in life.

Read more in my new book! The Trials And Triumphs of Hyperachievers