Seizing Opportunities: Dare to Position yourself for Success
Practical steps you can take to put yourself in an advantageous position over the next person. Note that this article is an abridged version of my presentation during the International Women’s day, 2023 in Jos Nigeria.
Introduction:
We are living in a world full of opportunities. People are playing video games and getting paid. People also video their everyday lives and make money from it. My question for you who likes to play video games is, why are you not making money from it, do you even know that you can make money from it? Let’s talk about seizing opportunities for success and how to put yourself in an advantageous position. First things first, definition of terms.
What does it mean to seize?
To seize means to grab, to collect forcefully, decisively. To clutch, grasp, snatch.
Opportunity meaning:
An opportunity is a good chance to advance. The set time for something to happen. A moment, room, occasion.
What is Success:
Success is an achievement of desired results, an accomplishment, victory, win, triumph. Sounds interesting!
Steps to take to position yourself
Below are some of the steps you can take to position yourself for success. These steps are listed in no particular order. They include:
- Courage
- visibility
- preparation
- Volunteering
- Being different
Courage
To be courageous is to be bold. Everything you need is on the other side of fear and to be honest, many people are afraid than they are lazy. Are you courageous enough to grab opportunities when you see them? I tell you the truth if you are not bold enough, nobody will back you up. Get up and be courageous.
Courage is fear that has said it’s prayers
- Dorothy Bernard
Visibility
How to be visible
- Leverage on social media - YouTube, LinkedIn Twitter, email. I applied for my Industrial Training via email while some of my coursemates were travelling. What I did is I googled companies that take IT students, their standards and the proximity to my location. Some accepted, and some did not. I later scanned my letter from school and sent it to the company and I was confirmed. Maximize the use of social media for good. Let people visit your social media and have an idea of what you do.
- Join a community — join an online or offline community to meet with people with similar interest and gain access to mentorship.
- Packaging — you and your product. Look good and dress well, no fake life please. Add that specialty to your product and make it attractive enough. Where you invest is where you harvest.
- Speak up in meetings/gatherings- speaking up helps you override any lingering fears. It is just like saying, ‘I am here, notice me.’ It puts you in an advantageous position and helps.
- Network.
My short Networking stories
- I was in Bauchi State, Nigeria when I boarded a bus and sat next to this guy who told me of a program in Jos, Nigeria. just from a conversation, I was able to attend a free training for 6 months.
2. I got a scholarship via someone who sent a link to me.
3. I travel for conferences as much as possible because it gives me an opportunity to interact with different people from different works of life.
4. The privilege of knowing someone in the airport enabled me to get a boarding pass after shifting my flight. I almost lost the opportunity to travel again.
5. I was given the opportunity to suggest names of people to be recruited for civil defense. I honestly couldn’t think of anyone at that point in time. But just knowing someone can make a difference and make things easier for you.
While it may be easy for some people to network or meet new people, it is difficult for some people. However, you have to have standards that guide your choices of meeting people. You will meet with people who don’t value you nor themselves but be firm and don’t deny your convictions. Set boundaries.
Be Prepared:
Proper prior planning prevents poor performance (6P formula) for preparation. Develop yourself and your skills both soft and hard skills. Some people develop their hard skills( artistic painting, programming, tailoring, painting) and ignore the soft skills (ability to communicate, integrity, honesty, prudence). When opportunity meets preparation, success is inevitable.
Volunteer
One of the easiest ways to get into an organization is volunteering. Most organizations select employees from people who volunteered and are competent. You get some level of experience and skills is through volunteering as well as meeting like-minded people.
Be different
To be different is to be unique, special and to do something others are not doing or something they can do but will rather not do. For example the way you walk, talk, think is different from the other person. I into Data Science but I write technical articles and most people don’t like writing, I read a lot. Many people I know will rather watch movies than read but i am different. You need to identify areas where you are different and embrace those areas. Do not try copy anyone.
Conclusion
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. Get up, overcome tough times, stop procrastinating, get out of your comfort zone, motivate a team, invest in personal growth, start that business, and learn that skill.
You can be good at anything if you stick to it long enough — Hellen Keller
