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Another Strange Reason Opportunity is Missed By Most

Podcast 20: Opportunity is Delicate

Why Most People Miss Opportunity

There’s a quote about opportunity often attributed to Thomas Edison

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

This is true. But most entrepreneurs know this and aren’t afraid to work hard. I want to talk about another less known and rarely talked about reason opportunity sometimes comes and goes without warning. Have you ever had this happen? An opportunity comes into your life. It seems like the perfect fit for your talents and your passions. Everything in you is telling you that it’s fate, or that it’s God’s favor, or the Universe responding to your wish…whatever you believe about such things. 

Then, suddenly, unexpected obstacles and setbacks show up. The opportunity starts to fade or suddenly vanishes. A few days or weeks later, you’re totally confused and deeply disappointed. How could something that seemed so perfect fall apart so fast? Having seen this happen to a lot of people during my coaching career, I’ll tell you an all too common cause of this. I call it Serendipitous Self-Sabotage.

Simply put, Serendipitous Self-Sabotage is when circumstances that seem 100% out of your control stop you from having something you really want. Logic tells you that since your actions didn’t cause it, this can’t possibly be self-inflicted. But after seeing this pattern in several of my initial coaching clients, something occurred to me. What if, my clients were somehow CAUSING these unexpected setbacks? What if they were doing this without conscious awareness of the fact?

I know this sounds crazy, but quantum physicists are discovering some stranger-than-fiction facts about how even our observations of reality can affect reality. New Age nutjobs overuse and abuse this explanation. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Principle of Cause and Effect doesn’t always seem to work in a logical and linear fashion. So, rather than dismissing this as kookery, let’s try an experiment. 

Starting today, tell yourself that you’re responsible for everything that happens to you. Even for the things that seem 100% out of your control. Meaning, the next time an opportunity, or a crisis, shows up in your life, ask this question…

“How might I have caused, influenced, or invited this?”

Don’t overanalyze this question, and don’t riddle yourself with guilt if the circumstance is negative. Just ask this question and allow the answer to come to you in whatever way it might come. Try this for the next year and see what happens. If your experience is anything like mine and those of my clients, you’ll be surprised at what you learn about yourself, your goals, and why opportunity eludes so many people. 

Goals and Progress

  • November Income: $566 (November Goal $2,000).
  • Bodyweight: 236.8lbs (Goal 185).
  • Linkedin Connections: 5,750 (Goal 10,000).
-Best



           
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