Bumping into Opportunity

Yesterday morning I arrived to the office a little before it opened and found myself waiting outside of the coffee shop (Reactor Coffee, you should go, I recommend ginger bread syrup in your coffee) of the coworking space here in Lincoln.

But Wednesday morning I wasn't the only one waiting.

Long story short, I bumped into a local community leader, we chatted, and I found myself at that mornings 1 Million Cups (entrepreneurial community meeting over coffee) and meet a 3 more individuals who could be directly tied to the work we do with D4LC. I left absolutely ECSTATIC.

And it got me thinking.

At TLC we often say we don't believe in "luck", we believe in opportunity and preparation. When those two converge, that's when people use the word "luck". Now was it still "lucky" that I arrived to work early? Maybe, OR I created opportunity by not being in a rush. Was it "lucky" that Sarah, the individual I met was there that day? Maybe. OR by Maile and I choosing a space that often invite community leaders in, we prepared, and I took hold of that opportunity by striking conversation.

In Maile and I's keynote, we share how to create moments that matter. Step 1 (the M) is "Make it Possible"

What are you making possible today? I think of our opportunity like the ball knackers above (if you know the actual name, please email me). We can either set ourselves close to opportunity like those balls. Pretend you are the ball farthest to the right. Right now, once the left ball releases we know that it will feel the impact. This is good. It is placed, and prepared for opportunity, and opportunity will hit. If, though, that ball moved to the right just an inch or two, it won't get hit.

I believe every single day we can move ourself an inch close or inch further from opportunity.

Which way are you moving today?

Here are a few ideas if you're not sure:

-When was the last time you actually met someone new? Where can you go to do this?

-When was the last time you were out of your comfort zone"

-When was the last time you drove somewhere new? Or went to a different coffee shop?