Written by Michael Cash | @theimpactfulhuman
Opportunity is alive. It is all around us and it is ready to be seized by those who seek it. What opportunities have presented themselves in your life? Have you seized them or were you blind to their presence? An opportunity lies in meeting new people, taking a new job, a handshake, a text, a wrong turn, a failure, a success and everything in between.
Sometimes the smallest doors lead to the biggest rooms. So you have to believe the room you are walking into is bigger than the door you entered through. The best way to attract opportunities into your life is to stay true to yourself and your life purpose. Wake up every day and follow that purpose with a burning passion.
Not every opportunity that presents itself sticks around forever. Sometimes doors close, and if you spend too much time resenting the closed door, you may fail to see the new door that has opened. My entire life I have sought out my definite purpose which is to create, to inspire and to impact the people and the world around me. To illustrate how a very small door can lead to a world of opportunities I will share a story. Since there is nothing worse than missing an opportunity that could have changed your life.
The Journey
I had just finished passing my life insurance, series 6 and 63 investment exams and started a new career in Cleveland, at one of the nation’s largest financial institutions Northwestern Mutual. Before that, I was unloading boxes from semi trucks at UPS breaking my back for $10 an hour. Leaving dirty, stinky and unhappy every night. One month later I was working at my new office in the brand new EY building downtown Cleveland. That night EY rented out Punch Bowl Social for a corporate party. I thought, wow my first fancy party with free alcohol and other men and women in dress clothes! My dream came true or did it?
As I stood there staring out the window of Punch Bowl, admiring the city lights and people around me I felt I was exactly where I was meant to be. This was where I had to be to reach my final destination but was becoming a financial advisor really what it was? Or was it the opportunities that came with the job? Over the next few months, I learned the most valuable tools possible that took me from an average joe with no business skills, to a skilled businessman with an arsenal of new skills.
The Realization
I had suits, money, a new car and an apartment, but man was I unhappy once again, WHY!? I was sitting at my desk every day dreaming of something bigger than the desk I was at. What real impact was I making, how was I changing the world around me? I was eventually brought to a door with an opportunity and a choice. Either I was going to walk out the door of Northwestern Mutual and chase the unknown with no promise of more doors opening, or I was going to suck it up and be a financial advisor for the rest of my life. I walked out the door, took the jump and a leap of faith.
A few days later I get a direct message on Instagram, just another message right, most people wouldn’t see this as an opportunity presenting itself to them. The message was from a local entrepreneur who noticed I had claimed myself to be one as well. In reality, I was lost with no idea how to start a business or what I wanted to start. I just wanted to make a difference, do right by others and hopefully make some money in the end. We met for coffee, a similarly aged guy with the same exact mindset as myself, and the same exact vision for his future. What a small world.
A New Venture
We ended up becoming close friends over the next few months and we teamed up to grow his digital marketing company. I never wanted to or thought I would be doing digital marketing and web development, but something told me that this one door would lead to a million others. So, I maintained the course. We eventually found ourselves at LaunchHouse, a Cleveland-based coworking space that helps to empower entrepreneurs to greatness. They had just recently started over as well, a new beginning, a new home, and a new opportunity.
Immediately, we felt at home. This was a place where my friend and I could continue on the right path to achieve our definite purpose. There were no physical promises that this was the right place or opportunity, it was just an instinctual gut feeling that you get when you just know. So here I am, feeling that I am exactly in the right place at the right time again.
Opportunity Lives
After a few months of working out of LaunchHouse, I felt better than ever. Even though our digital marketing business wasn’t doing so well we kept pushing forward. We began to build relationships with other entrepreneurs in the LaunchHouse space and became good friends with them. One day, mentally exhausted and financially concerned but still happier than ever because I was working towards my life purpose, a new opportunity presented itself. A big golden door with endless potential, my friend and I were offered the opportunity to join a new venture. As an entrepreneur when you hit a wall you must pivot and proceed to move around it. At that time I was at a wall. So, I eagerly took the opportunity pivoted and moved around the wall in front of me to help with this new venture.
I’m now on a path that leads to everything that I wish to accomplish, thanks to multiple opportunities combined into one over a period of time. What if I would have never walked out that door? What if I failed to notice an opportunity after I left? What if I didn’t meet my now friend after an introduction over Instagram? What if I decided not to join the LaunchHouse, or build relationships with the other members? I know that it took all of those little opportunities and much more to be where I am today. So, proceed without fear and let your passion guide you. Opportunity lives, and it never knocks twice.