Seneca once said that “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Outsiders might think that someone is lucky for being in the right place at the right time. But what they don’t know is the preparation behind it. The preparation is the key. Tons of opportunities may come your way, but if you are not prepared to capitalize on them, they will mean nothing.
That’s why I believe it’s essential that you prepare yourself for future opportunities. Don’t wait until an opportunity comes before you start preparing for it. That will be too late. Instead, you should prepare yourself early; the sooner the better. That way, when the opportunity comes, you are ready to take advantage of it. People will see you to be in the right place at the right time.
How should we prepare ourselves for future opportunities? Here are three ways:
1. Stay informed.
To anticipate future opportunities, you need to stay informed about what’s going on within the fields you are interested in. You can then keep an eye on things that are interesting and, if the time is right, invest your resources in them.
To give you an example, 3D printing is currently on the rise. I still don’t know what to do about it, but I keep an eye on it. I put it on a “watch list” so to speak. When an opportunity appears (for example, a business opportunity), I will be in the know.
My main way to stay informed is subscribing to interesting websites using an RSS reader. I allocate time daily to go through them.
2. Build your platform.
We live in a noisy world and it has become increasingly difficult to get people’s attention. For that reason, it’s essential that you have a platform, a place where you can connect with an audience who trusts you. That’s how you get the attention you need for your ideas or products.
You can’t build a platform overnight, though. In fact, it may take years to build a strong platform. So you must start building it long before you need it.
I mentioned some ways to build a platform in my article about lifestyle business.
3. Allocate time to learn.
When something catches your attention, allocate time to learn more about it, even if you don’t plan to do anything about it soon. If you allocate regular time for it, your skills will grow over time. By the time you decide to act, you will already have something to start with. You will be able to act fast.
When it comes to preparing yourself for future opportunities, “build it before you need it” applies. Don’t wait until you need something before you start building it. Start early. Start now.
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