“Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them.” ~Orison Swett Marden~
I have a brash, maybe painful, question to ask of you? Are you ready?
Yes, I am, Richard? What is it you want to know? Imagine – if you will – that life can bring to you whatever you wish for most.
Yeah, I’m with you, Richard.
And supposing that you wish to be rich beyond all imagination. Let’s say, $10,000,000 in the bank and growing.
Sounds great, Richard.
So now you have your dream and you set about learning what it takes to be so rich. You read the books, attend the seminars, listen to motivational messages, and write down definable goals. You feel certain that in time your dream will become a reality.
That makes sense, Richard.
The trouble is that none of your ideas gel and the thousands of dollars you are investing in your future glory seem to be flushing down the proverbial toilet day by day.
That could happen, Richard.
But one day a stranger in front of the general store tries to light a cigarette with a match and the flame blows out over and over again before he can light up. You are on your way to meet a man about your newest idea, and thus give scant attention to the man with the unlit cigarette.
I’m following you, I guess. Continue Richard.
You call that busyness, but I call it a missed opportunity. Your life will probably go on uneventfully and without that $10,000,000 in the vault.
A former metal worker and high school dropout, George G. Blaisdell, however, rakes in enough cold hard cash to buy ten yachts and five vacation homes from a depression-era driven company, Zippo Lighters.
Hmm, that scenario does happen all the time, doesn’t it, Richard?
Yes, it does. If you become so obsessed with the theory of wealth that you develop a tunnel vision, then opportunity will pass right under your nose time and again, unknown and underutilized.