The secret to success is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it presents itself. There will always be opportunities coming your way, 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 gold platter, but cannot discern them. I once had an uncle who worked for an oil company for almost eight years. While he was there, he earned more than a thousand dollars ($1,000) a month in salary. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t ready for the opportunity he had. In 2008, he was the victim of the oil company’s downsizing and lost his 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 succeed 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 doors, 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 to her advantage.
Wait patiently for that opportunity: Patience is a virtue that many individuals are not prepared to cultivate. Many rush to stardom and ultimately miss out on becoming what God intended them to be. Emmanuel Amuneke, the most celebrated Nigerian footballer, had this virtue in abundance. In the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations held in the beautiful country of Tunisia, he never got to play in any of the group stage matches. Nigerian coach Clemens Westerhof knew what he was doing and Emmanuel Amuneke was in no rush to take the field. 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 joker. He ended up scoring the two clinical goals that gave Nigeria gold. His patience finally paid off and he was named the 1994 African Footballer of the Year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). He patiently waited another two years and once again emerged as the hero of the Nigerian national football team at the Atlanta Olympics, when he scored the winning goal in Nigeria’s 2-1 win over Argentina in the final. He came on as a substitute just minutes from the end of the match and his exploits brought him fame and fortune around 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 succeed, there is one key similarity: they were ready. And for each of those who were ready to bide their time, the golden opportunity finally came. So the principle for us is: Be patient!
Never miss that opportunity: There are thousands of people who are patiently waiting for the opportunity of a lifetime to shine, and when the great opportunity presents itself, they throw it away with their own 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 matches, losing 1-0 to Argentina and 2-1 to Sweden. Nigeria had a certain Ike Shorunmu in goal for the first two matches, and when the third and final match against England came around, then Super Eagles manager Adegboye Onigbinde decided to make a series of changes, bringing in goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who was the only home player on the team. He made a world-class save after a well-placed shot from England’s Paul Scholes to cap off a brilliant outing. The match ultimately ended 0-0, and Vincent Enyeama cemented his place as Nigeria’s number one goalkeeper. He never let that one opportunity to shine on the world stage slip through his grasp. He grabbed it with both hands. In conclusion, it should be noted that some may only have one chance in life; others may get three chances while some may get 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. Prepare, be patient, and never let that opportunity slip away!
