Taking vs Creating Opportunity

Note To Self: Start Creating Opportunities

I’m very good at seizing on opportunities. There aren’t many that have come my way that I didn’t hold onto. My problem however has been my inability to create opportunities. A subtle but very important difference. The difference between taking advantage of opportunities and creating them is the difference between being the CEO and the founder.

The difference is important because realizing your dreams requires creating opportunities for them to happen. That to me is the real definition of success. Creating the opportunities needed to accomplish your dreams. If you can do that, then you can be successful.

Up until this point in my life I’ve been a taker. An opportunity to go to college provided by my mother. An opportunity to work and make money in a family business. With money in my pocket, the opportunity to take time off and figure out what I wanted to do. Yes, every one of these opportunities required work. Graduating college required studying and going to class (sometimes). Working my way up the corporate ladder required sacrificing relationships. But that’s it. I was handed an opportunity to work.

Now, I want to flip that and be the creator of opportunities for myself and others. At this point in my life I’m focused on solving that problem. All I have right now is a strong work ethic, and my knowledge from life lived, which will have to be enough.

Use Every Opportunity

I’ve been working on my writing practice for 5 years now (you can tell right?). My writing abilities have a long way to go, but they have also come a long way. One thing I credit is always taking the opportunity to write when asked.

This is mostly the case when it comes to submitting reviews, leaving comments, or, in the rare occasion, being asked to write a story.

This happened to me recently.

The National Parks Programs sent out an email asking me (everyone) to tell them about why they love the National Parks and why they’re so special to them.

In a past life, one that consisted of 70 hour work weeks, I would’ve deleted their email without a thought. But this time, I took it as an opportunity to work on my writing and share.

“Acadia was the first park in the United States I had ever been to. A year earlier I traveled to Patagonia for a 7 day backpacking trip. It was the first time I had ever tent camped, backpacked or spent any significant time outdoors. I was 30. That trip inspired me to want to see all the beauty that our parks here in the U.S. had to offer. The following summer I took off on a 3-month road trip from New York to California. My plan was to stop at as many national parks as possible. And I did. Acadia. Both Badlands. Joshua Tree. Rocky Mountain. Grand Canyon. Arches. Canyonlands. Zion Bryce. To name more than a few. Since that trip I’ve probably been to a dozen more. The thing that I love about our parks is how accessible and well planned out they are. There is something for everyone to do and there is something to enjoy, whether you’re just passing through for the day, or your hanging out for a weekend. There is so much beauty in our parks and I wish everyone in this country would get the chance to experience them. Sincerely. James.”

They published my story! Yay! My first publications lol…

Whatever craft you’re trying to hone, look around at the opportunities in front of you to practice. Reviews and commenting were never on my radar, but now I see them as a chance to improve.