Milton Berle said, “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”
Horatio Alger said, “Luck happens to those who greatly increase the chances of its occurrence.”
This brings up an important question: Does opportunity only knock once?
I used to think so. Because that’s what I’d always been told. By the media, by my friends, by my teachers, by everyone.
You only get one shot.
You’ll never get a second chance.
Opportunity only knocks once.
Then, after college, I started to get lucky. Like, all the time. Lucky with people. Lucky with business. Lucky with life.
My new neighbor became my best friend.
I landed huge interviews on CNN and NBC.
I encountered complete strangers who changed my life.
I experienced moments of online serendipity that drove millions of people to my website.
Amazing stuff just started happening to me. And I thought, Man, I’m really lucking out!
Then I read somewhere that L.U.C.K was an acronym for ‘Laboring Under Correct Knowledge.’
And I realized something: it’s not that opportunity only knocks once. It knocks all the time. Probably every day. The problem is: people don’t listen. Sure, they might hear it, but they don’t take action.
Maybe because they’re too busy.
Maybe because they think it’s a fluke.
Maybe because they think they’re not lucky.
Maybe because they don’t think it’ll be worth answering.
In other words, pessimism.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t hope for opportunity – I expect it. Every day. Not because I deserve it, but because I’ve learned how to magnetize and leverage it. In fact, I’d say that I’m the luckiest person I know. And I think I can help you be the same:
6 Steps To Becoming The Luckiest Person You Know
1. Affirm. Every morning, affirm to yourself that great things are going to happen to you today. That you’re going to experience incredible personal and professional opportunities. That you will be a magnet for cool stuff and people.
2. Beware. Always be on the lookout for potential opportunities. Keep your eyes and ears open. Think into the future and ask, ‘What could this lead to?’
3. Celebrate. Whenever one of those ‘lucky’ incidents happens, give thanks. Be excited that you proved yourself right. And say to yourself, I knew this was going to happen!
4. Documentation. Write them down. Keep track of your moments in an Opportunity Journal. You might try doing this with a partner with whom you can share your mutual opportunities.
5. Evaluate. Look for trends. Figure out what you did right. Figure out what correct knowledge you were laboring under.
6. Frequency. If opportunity already knocked once, invite it back. I’m sure it would love to stop by again.
John Maxwell was right: ‘Opportunity always takes NOW for an answer.’
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Who’s the luckiest person you know?