Clear the mind
"Opportunity is often difficult to recognize; we usually expect it to beckon us with beepers and billboards."
I went to a seminar last night with my bff Jackie. She has resolved to get out and network more this year and I've volunteered to accompany her on most outtings. Last night's seminar was on drop-shipment Internet opportunities. The company gave me some great ideas for creating my own (and Mom's) e-commerce page. The drop-ship thing sounded great - but I haven't met anyone personally that has tried it, so I had commitment issues.
A couple of things the presenter said/did made an impact on me. One of the things he did was wave a $10 bill and asked if anyone wanted it. Everyone kind of mumbled "yeah". He asked again, everyone replied a little louder. The third time he asked, a man went up to the presenter and took the $10 bill. Everyone sighed and the presenter said that when opportunity presents itself - TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT, don't just sit there and wait for it to come to you. A little while later, he did the same thing. Can you believe he had to ask twice before anyone got up to get the bill? I have to say - I thought about it, but then thought - this must be a joke. It wasn't, and I missed the chance at $20!
Another point the presenter made that really made me think: He told the story of his "friend" who worked for a company that went through some "downsizing". He said they guy waited through 4 different layoffs - making it through them all, before he even thought that he should have a backup plan if, in fact, he was let go. The friend thought that if he was let go, he'd update his resume and look for another job. The presenter said, "Can you take your resume and buy groceries with it?" I've been there, done that when hubby went through several unemployment periods. I also went through one "merger" and survived the layoffs - after waiting all day for the knock on my office door and security ready to escort me out. I sort of survived another "relocation" by being given a huge severence package to stay an additional 6 months to migrate projects. With enough notice, I was able to have a job waiting for me. We've worried, scrounged, got behind on bills - and nearly lost our house after losing a job. I'm not saying that a drop-ship site would have gotten us through, but anything would have been better than nothing. We should always be prepared with a backup plan. Now I am determined to do that.
So, with my bff's resolve to get us out in the public eye - and my resolve to create a backup plan, I think we're going to have an interesting year!
~peace~