GRAB THAT OPPORTUNITY

                                     Crystal Weber 04-01-12

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
- Winston Churchill

Life is full of opportunities.  Every day we let several pass us by.  However, when we recognize an opportunity it is important that we are daring and grab onto it.  They leave as quickly as they come so that is why it is important that we do not hesitate. 

After you take hold of the opportunity, hard work follows.  Does it seem to you that some people are just lucky?  I think that some are luckier than others for sure; however, the vast majority of “luck” is often caused by sheer effort and persistence.  I think many of us can create our own luck by taking chances and making the most of each opportunity that we see coming our way. 

Luck is when opportunity knocks, and you answer.
- Anonymous

I also think that we can create our own opportunities at times.   There are situations that seem like epic fails that we can turn into learning experiences and sometimes even something great.  For instance, if you lose your job you could take that door closure as a chance to open the door of your choosing, such as going to college, opening your own business, or making a career change.  I feel like at times that certain fails are nudgings from God that we are not quite on the right path He is intending for us.  Other times fails are meant to teach us perseverance and determination. 

Here are a few examples of rejection that turned to success due to never giving up that I was able to find after around 3 minutes of researching on the internet:

·         Were told by Publishers that "anthologies didn't sell" and the book was "too positive" Rejected a total of 140 times. The book? Chicken Soup for the Soul. It now has 65 different titles and has sold over 80 million copies all over the world.

·         Did poorly in school and failed at running the family farm - Isaac Newton

·         Told by a teacher he was "too stupid to learn anything" Thomas Edison

·         Failed the sixth grade - Winston Churchill

·         Wasn't able to speak until he was almost 4 years old and his teachers said he would "never amount to much" - Albert Einstein

·         Was cut from the high school basketball team, went home, locked himself in his room and cried - Michael Jordan

·         Told by a music teacher "as a composer he is hopeless" – Beethoven

·         Received 30 rejections and the author threw it in the trash. Luckily his wife fished it out again and encouraged him to resubmit it. The book was Carrie - the author Stephen King

·         Producer told her she was "unattractive" and could not act - Marilyn Monroe

·         Fired from a newspaper because he "lacked imagination and had no original ideas" - Walt Disney

As you can see, NEVER GIVE UP!  Grab that opportunity and remember that no matter what happens or what anyone else says, God believes in you and wants you to succeed.  Just go for it~