Opportunity

Milton Berle once said “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” What this merely means is that we don’t always have to wait for an opportunity to present itself. What we can do is to equip ourselves with the necessary skills and knowledge to create an opportunity.

We live in a time where with just one click you have access to the internet which means that we are one or two clicks away from knowledge and videos that can equip us with various skills. That’s a major opportunity if you ask me. It is probably one of the best times to be alive because at just a click of a button you can start an online business. Social media has become a platform where those with successful accounts can make money by just posting and sitting at home. The list is endless but the point that I am trying to make is that every day we are given opportunities. The internet was just one example of an opportunity that presents itself to you if you have the privilege of internet access but let’s bring it closer to home.

The first opportunity that we get each day is 86400 seconds to do something with our lives. The moment we open our eyes, the first opportunity has knocked and is looking to enter. Many times we overlook this opportunity and think it’s just another requirement of life but it’s not. The fact that you are reading this post is a blessing. The fact that you woke up, went to work or an event is a blessing. Many people die every day and many people would give up everything just to see this day. Talk about being blessed but going even deeper talk about the opportunity that we have! I think let’s breakdown the word opportunity and do a bit of a throwback. The word opportunity is derived from Old French opportunite and directly from Latin opportunitatem which means, fitness, suitableness, convenience and favourable time. Just looking at the words or phrase given to us it becomes clear that opportunity is everywhere.

One of the words that stand out for me from the etymology of the word opportunity is fitness. We usually associate the word fitness with health. Which means that the fact that we could get out of bed this morning is probably one of the biggest opportunities we have today to do something positive and make a difference. However most of the time we just don’t see this as an opportunity or we miss the opportunity because it is dressed in overalls, and looks like work just as Thomas Edison once said. What I have realised over time is that we have perceived an opportunity as an email or a person in a nice shiny suit that we miss the simplest of opportunities because we expected a grand entrance.

Les Brown once said “I would rather be prepared and have no opportunity, than have an opportunity and not be prepared” However being prepared comes with knowing what opportunities you currently have and opportunities that may present themselves if you decide to take charge of your life. It starts off with taking advantage of the opportunities that we have on a daily basis. Imagine this, we have 365 days that are not promised to us and 366 days in a leap year for arguments sake that’s 365/366 opportunities. Which means that if your life goal is to reach out to over thousands of people removing social media out of the equation for now. This means that if you were to decide to make a difference in someone’s life every day that’s 365 people per day and if it’s done over a period of 3 years that’s just over a thousand people. This concept can be applied in the area of your choice but only if you open your eyes and start to see the opportunities laid before you on a daily basis.

I have always said if you have been given ten opportunities. Take all ten. Don’t take seven or nine. Take all ten because if you leave anything behind, that could possibly be the last time you see that opportunity. “Carpe diem” but most importantly seize the opportunity.

Tumisang Malete

Life outside fear

“Fear stifles our thinking and actions. It creates indecisiveness that results in stagnation. I have known talented people who procrastinate indefinitely rather than risk failure. Lost opportunities cause erosion of confidence, and the downward spiral begins.”- Charles Stanley

Arachnophobia, Ophidiophobia, Acrophobia, Agoraphobia and Cynophobia. This is just a brief list of some of the phobias that exist in the world that we live in. The oxford dictionary defines a phobia as: “An extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something” The phrase that stands out for me in that definition is “irrational fear”. Now to do something irrationally is to do it in an illogical way. Fear on the other hand is to be afraid of something. According to the oxford dictionary fear is “an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.” If I lost you along the way, hang in there I am getting to my point fairly soon. The phrase I want to highlight from the definition of fear is “threat of” As far as I understand a threat is basically something that you may receive from something or someone with the intention to do some damage. The most important thing that we should take from that is the word “intention” that means that it hasn’t done anything to you as of yet, or perhaps has the potential to do something but it hasn’t.

Many people are not where they’re supposed to be because of fear. They’re too scared of the possible outcomes of something, that they would rather settle for less than go out and chase they’re dreams. Many people want success but they’re fear of failure is greater than their desire for success. I was surfing the internet and to my surprise I found out that there’s a phobia of failure called Atychiphobia. Looking back at the unpacking of the definition of phobia that means that it’s unreasonable to even be having this fear but we do because we have given fear the power to dominate our lives. The fault in our stars illustrates this message perfectly especially with the cigarette metaphor. The only time a cigarette kills you is when you give it the power to do so by lighting it but if it’s just in your mouth and not lit, then it’s lifeless. Fear is lifeless but daily we choose to give it life. Fear gets in the way of many of our passions, dreams and goals not because it’s a law of nature but because we choose to give it power. Franklin D. Roosevelt once said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Fear will always knock at your door but what you decide at that moment is what determines where you’re going. The beauty of life is that we have the power of choice. Whether you let fear in or not is entirely up to you. It’s all in your mind. Your thoughts are powerful and as I say these words a quote by Norman Vincent Peale rings in my mind when he said: “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” Success is always waiting but the fear of failure is what delays the process. Failure is just an opportunity to get back up and keep trying. Believe in yourself and keep going. Be courageous enough to follow your dreams. Stop settling for less. You were never meant to be “less” but to be the best you can be.

You only have one life. Why not live it in the best possible way?

Life outside fear is where the magic happens.

 

Tumisang Malete

 

Die Empty

Many times we hear the clichés “Live life like there’s no tomorrow” or “You only live once” but as much as we are fed up with these phrases they are the basis of life and in some or other way remind us of the beauty of life. With that being said I agree with the words of Mae West when she said: “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

There is no doubt that we all have certain interests and passions but how many of us follow them? How many of us are stuck in jobs that we hate because we are too afraid to follow our wildest dreams or passions? There’s a saying that says “Life is too short to be doing something you hate” Many people are unhappy because they are spending all their time and energy doing something they have no interest in or dislike.

The beauty of life is that it ends and that’s what makes it precious and valuable. Life is meant to be lived in the best possible way because we only get one shot at it. It’s unfortunate that the richest place in the world is the cemetery because at the cemetery you will find presidents that never sat in parliament, soccer players that never played for their national team, writers who never wrote bestsellers. The list goes on. The truth of the matter is that we all have potential and are destined for greatness but it’s time we start to believe it. There’s a very powerful scripture I came across when doing my daily devotions from Ecclesiastes 9:10(NKJV) which reads “Whatever your hands finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” This scripture sums up the point that I am trying to make. We are all going to die at some point. Tomorrow is never promised but death is, therefore it’s our duty to make the most of each day given to us but to truly make the most we need to be doing what we truly love and using the talents given to us. Steve Jobs once said: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do”

We were put onto this earth to give and not just take. We were all blessed with certain talents to give to the world and not to die with them. You are here to make a difference. Dying full is not an option. Your talents are roaming around but they need you to bring them to life. Only you have the power to bring them to life otherwise if you don’t they die with you forever. I therefore urge you to bring your talents to life and start doing things you love. If you’re concerned about the money. Follow your passion and the money will follow. There’s more than one way to make millions with your passion but all it will require is you believing in yourself and working hard to make your dream a reality. No one deserves to be stuck in something they hate while they have been given the power of choice. Your goal is to have nothing in your hands when you die. Leave a legacy and leave the world in a better condition than you found it.

I am 2^nd year medical student. Yes I love medicine and passionate about it but I also love motivational speaking, coaching people, writing and leadership. Studying Medicine requires dedication, time and commitment but that doesn’t stop me from following my other passions. I believe that all of these overlap at some point but even though at times things don’t make sense I still believe in the beauty of my dreams. I love what I do and so can you if you decide to take action and believe in your dreams. It may seem scary but the scariness is what makes it great. Many times you will try to talk yourself out of it, your family and friends may not understand but yet again it’s not their dream after all, right?

Follow your passion. It’s never too late to change the ending of your life. Start today and make the rest of your life the best of your life. Die empty.

Tumisang Malete