No Time Lost Enterprises Presents

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

http://members5.boardhost.com/SuccessManiacs

Opportunity Knocks. Will You Answer?

Presenting the Opportunity Knocks EZine

Produced by

Tim Johnson
and
No Time Lost Enterprises

Volume I, Issue 1
February 26, 2001

Welcome to the OK-EZine! Presented here are ideas, concepts, strategies and tactics for those ready to embrace the New, the Daring and the Possibilities. Feedback is always welcome. Please send all comments to timj@notimelost.com. Positive and Negative are welcome.

Who are three people who would like to read this EZine? Please pass it along to them. If you have received it from a friend, formal subscribe and unsubscribe information is at the end of the message.

CONTENTS:

1.) Power Thought
2.) Recommended Resource
3.) Main Article
4.) Advertising Info
5.) Subscribe/Unsubscribe Info

1.) Power Thought - Driver or Passenger?

Where are you going? Do you know? Are you just along for the ride? Or are you in the driver's seat? Far too many people live their lives in a kind of haze. They let things happen TO them rather than THEM happening to THINGS.

Drivers are always moving toward something. Passengers are generally not moving, being moved by someone else or are moving away from something. Drivers have goals. Real goals, not wishes. Goals that they decided upon themselves, not ones that the boss defined.

Drivers attract people to them and their ideas.

Passengers don't.

Drivers probably read or listen to tapes 2-3 times or more than they watch TV. Passengers almost never read or listen to tapes.

Drivers have hope, belief and faith in something better than what they have now. Passengers don't even contemplate the possibility of something better.

So, are you a passenger or are you driving?

2.) Recommended Resource - Think and Grow Rich

The absolute first step for anyone who wants to create a better life is to change, hone and develop your mindset. Your mindset is the set of attitudes, beliefs and possibilities you carry in your head. Until you have done that, you are likely making only temporary changes.

So, if you have not done so yet and even if you have, go out and get what I consider the absolute first book anyone should read on self-development:

Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill.

Click on the link below to purchase the book. This book is the modern, seminal work on self-development. Once you read it and grasp what he is telling you, you will never look at the future in the same way.

Think and Grow Rich

3.) Main Article - Just What IS an Opportunity?

This is probably one of the most important questions we can discuss. This being the United States of America, It seems to me that Opportunity is something that ALL Americans have around them and can take advantage of.

Opportunities come in many flavors, styles, degrees of visibility, levels of difficulty and accessibility. Opportunities sometimes don't look like opportunities, sometimes they look like disasters or problems. Sometimes factors stand in the way of opportunities that come your way. It may be a lack of money, time, resources, emotional support, belief or prejudice.

But, what IS an opportunity? Well, let's start with what it is not. It is not a guaranteed result.

Catch that?

NOT a guaranteed result.

I don't care what someone tells you about any opportunity, specifically or opportunity in general. By its definition, opportunity is a chance to win and it is a chance to fail. No one is guaranteed anything in this country except Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. See the Declaration of Independence.

Pursuit. . .

What does that mean?

It means you can chase Happiness to your heart's content. Notice it doesn't say "Life, Liberty and Happiness." Want to know why? Because those old men knew something too many have either forgotten, never knew or choose to ignore: Happiness comes from within. Therefore, it cannot EVER be guaranteed.

What does that have to do with Opportunity?

Everything.

Opportunity requires something from WITHIN each of us.

It requires that we believe certain things and accept certain facts.

I believe that some of these things are:

1. I can do it.
2. I may not do it.
3. I will have to work for it.
4. Obstacles are always in the way. I choose whether or not to ignore them.
5. I create my own limits.
6. I do not have to let others' opinions stop me.
7. I must be determined to win.
8. My beliefs determine whether I see opportunities or not.
9. If I quit, I fail.
10. Success is not guaranteed.
11. Failure is not guaranteed.
12. The chance is the only thing that guaranteed.
13. The odds are never the same for any two opportunities or for any two people.
14. Life is not fair, but you can make it work in your favor.
15. Your biggest obstacle is in your own head.

I know that a lot of people will immediately question and deny some if not all of these 15 things. More will deny that there are any opportunities unless you are the right color, gender, ethnicity or have the right bank account already.

Hogwash.

There are enough examples of people facing impossible odds and winning. Against all kinds of obstacles including the ones listed above.

So, what is the difference? Those that triumphed did not quit. They didn't let anything stand in their way. The rest quit. It's that simple.

Now a word of caution. The winners are on the ball enough to watch what they did and notice whether or not it was working. Sometimes they quit on one or another opportunities, but they NEVER QUIT ON THEM SELVES!

Opportunity is the possibility of achieving what you want and believing that you can do it. Not hoping. Not wishing. Believing. And not quitting on your belief.