The secret of success is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. There will always be opportunities that will come, but the question we must honestly ask ourselves is this: “Are we ready for that golden opportunity”? Some opportunities can come in the form of challenges, and we all know that many people avoid challenges. Some people may only have one chance to change their destiny. So how can we use the opportunities that come our way?
Be Prepared for Opportunities: Some people are presented with opportunities on a golden platter, but they cannot discern them. I once had an uncle who worked in an oil company for almost eight years. While he was there, he was earning more than a thousand dollars a month ($1,000) in salary. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t prepared for the opportunity he had. In 2008, he fell victim to the oil company’s downsizing and was left without a job. He did not have a building of his own, nor did he have any form of investment to fall back on. He wasn’t prepared for what had hit him, because he didn’t take advantage of the opportunity he had.
Use that opportunity: To be successful in life, you must not only see an opportunity, but take advantage of it. Opportunities can be compared to a key to a door. As long as we don’t use the key to open any door, the key will remain useless.
There was this young actress who went to visit an uncle at the office for some personal business. While she was there, she had a chance meeting with a film director, who jokingly asked her if she would be interested in a role in her next film. She had acting talent and she did not hesitate to give an answer. She was invited to audition and became the main character in the film. That one opportunity transformed her life and her career! She not only saw an opportunity, but used it completely for her benefit.
Wait patiently for that opportunity: Patience is a virtue that many individuals are not prepared to cultivate. Many rush to stardom and ultimately miss the opportunity to become what God intended them to be. Emmanuel Amuneke, the most famous Nigerian footballer, possessed this virtue in abundance. In the 1994 African Cup of Nations held in the beautiful country of Tunisia, he never got to play any of the group matches. Nigerian coach Clemens Westerhof knew what he was doing and Emmanuel Amuneke was in no hurry to take to the pitch. He patiently waited for the opportunity to shine. The opportunity finally came in the final against a young Chipolopolo from Zambia, and Emmanuel Amuneke entered the game as a prankster. He ended up scoring the two clinical goals that gave Nigeria the gold. His patience finally paid off and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) named him African Footballer of the Year for 1994. He waited patiently for another two years and once again emerged as the hero of the Nigerian national football team at the Olympics. of Atlanta, when he scored. the winning goal in Nigeria’s 2-1 victory over Argentina in the final. He came on as a substitute just a few minutes from the end of the match and his exploits brought him fame and fortune all over the world. You see, you never know when the door of opportunity will swing open. For some, the big break may come early in life and for others later. But for all those who are successful, there is one key similarity: they were ready. And for everyone who was ready to bide their time, the golden opportunity finally arrived. So the principle for us is: Be patient!
Never miss that opportunity: There are thousands of people patiently waiting for the opportunity of a lifetime to shine, and when the big opportunity comes their way, they throw it away with their bare hands! Nigeria’s national soccer team, the Super Eagles, went to the 2002 World Cup in Korea, Japan and performed poorly in their first two games, losing 1-0 to Argentina and 2-1 to Sweden. Nigeria had a certain Ike Shorunmu in goal for the first two games, and when the third and final game against England came around, the then Super Eagles manager, Adegboye Onigbinde, decided to make a number of changes, and goalkeeper Vincent came on. Enyeama, who was the only local player on the team. He made a world-class save with a well-executed shot from England’s Paul Scholes to cap off a brilliant outing. The match eventually ended 0-0, and Vincent Enyeama cemented his place as Nigeria’s number one goalkeeper. He never let that one chance to shine on the world stage slip away from him. He grabbed it with both hands. In closing, it should be noted that some may only get one chance at life; others may have three chances while some may have up to ten chances to shine. We must not allow any opportunity to go untapped, because it may be the only opportunity that comes our way. Be prepared, be patient and never let that opportunity slip away!