Opportunities Show Up in Unexpected Places…

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Before I stopped paying attention to the daily news and world affairs on Network TV and Newspapers, I was often struck by not just the unemployment figures but also the comments that the figure for unemployment did not include those who had simply given up looking for work.  I know a lot of people who have looked for jobs for years and still remain unemployed primarily because they can’t find a job that pays them what they made in their last job or they can’t find a job they think they would like.  It is a fascinating set of circumstances  because most of the people were in their previous jobs for long periods of time and during that time and leading up to today, the world has changed, the economy has changed and technology continues to move ahead at light speed.

The last three years when I had given in to negative comments, negative advice, negative Network and Cable News, Negative talk radio and assorted other supplies of negative input, I lost my company, my home and just about everything else.  In late July of this year, I decided enough was enough and I was going to return to the positive thoughts and dreaming that had taken me so far the first 47 years of my life.  I decided I knew I could return to making a million dollars a year but this time was going to be even better, not only was I going to make that money but I was going to make sure I helped anyone who wanted to listen learn how they could turn things around and improve their lives as well.

So I  embarked on a new adventure, I sent out 1,000 resumes, applied online for hundreds of jobs that were the perfect fit for me, in other words I took massive action to get things stoked up and rolling again.  Well after all that work, not one phone call or return email came to me regarding any of those positions.  I then made hundreds of calls to people I knew from my old business, I talked to people who owned the companies where I had produced sales that netted me almost a million dollars a year in commissions and not one opportunity was available.  Like the people the news said had simply given up on looking for a job, I, for a moment could identify with their plight and thought for just a second I might end up in the same place. 

Knowing that “Thoughts become Things”, I started visualizing what I really ultimately wanted to do with my life and got to work.  I started writing this blog, I started recording video for my video blog, I started writing a book, I started recording audio programs and I kept looking for job opportunities and I kept plugging away at my current sales position in the media replication business.  Then, one day almost like magic, the phone began to ring…first it was a job selling a new, high speed mobile internet service out of a kiosk at the Mall of America which was something I could do and still maintain my current sales position, while the retail sales position paid less than $10 an hour, it seemed like a good opportunity to meet people and interact with people again, maybe even brush up on my sales skills.   The next phone call I received was from a large, locally based company that has convenience stores all over the midwest, they offered me a position working from 9 at night until 6 in the morning at one of their stores.   Again, it seemed very exciting to me, because I liked the company and again I thought it would give me the opportunity to interact with people.  While both positions paid less than $10 per hour, and both companies told me I was way overqualified and asked me if I was sure I wanted to do this, I looked at both positions as adventures and went into with one goal, to use it as an opportunity to help others.

Help others ?  That’s right since both positions involved interacting with customers and potential customers, I thought I would be able to put a smile on the face of people who were down that might be coming into buy a lottery ticket or gas and I also felt that I could have a positive effect on the people I worked with, setting an example of enjoying everything you are doing no matter what it is.   I really wasn’t interested in what the positions paid, what the advancement opportunities were or what was in it for me monetarily, I was only interested in the adventure and the opportunity to interact and make a difference with the people I came in contact with.

It has been about 2 months now since I started these two new adventures, and while there have been times that the hours have eaten into me getting any sleep at all, I have thoroughly enjoyed the positions and the people I have come to know.   But what is really amazing is what has happened since I embarked on these adventures, once I took on these positions other opportunities started flooding in, new customers and prospects showed up in my replication business, new opportunities showed up for me with other products, another company I am involved in has several huge opportunities that have come to me in regards to manufacturing vitamins and all of sudden last week, people started showing up in my life confirming and offering themselves as resources to build my blog, website and inspirational adventure.  Not only did people show up, but ideas have been coming to me faster than ever, including ideas for new websites, all aimed at helping others.

As the opportunities started to pour in, so did advancement and wage increases with the two adventures in high speed internet and convenience stores.  None of this would have happened if I had sat back and waited for the perfect opportunity.  My point is that if you are waiting for the perfect opportunity to start working again, you most likely will never get back to work, but if you take on a job, whether it is at a fast food restaurant, a retail store, a warehouse where ever, and you take the right approach, (An adventure not a job) you might just see opportunities arising in other areas of your life.

I was thinking about all the opportunity that has come my way during the past few weeks as a result of my two new adventures and it took me back to a time in my early 20’s when I was a young salesperson and there were endless opportunities available to me.   All of those opportunities came to me because I was “out there” making contacts and interacting with people.    So, if you are looking to get back in the job market, or are looking for the perfect opportunity,  get out there, find a job that you can take on as an adventure with no concern for what it pays, use it to get yourself out there, nothing stands out more than a fantastic, energy filled, happy person working in a place that is known for the opposite.  I guarantee you will draw some attention which in turn will lead to opportunity, maybe even that perfect opportunity you were waiting for.

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