I have this awkward attitude of trying to challenge people who are close to me, especially when I feel that they have all the necessary resources or means to achieve more than they've stipulated themselves to.
Now a lot of people often equate resources to means/money. But this isn't entirely true. Although money is the ultimate means. with it, you can buy other means.
For example, Money can buy opportunity, money can be used to make even more money. Money is the ultimate ingredient to making more money,
but one must never underestimate other non-monetary resources that are required to create sustainability when one has eventually gotten to the pinnacle of their desires.
The "Opportunity" You Tend To Underrate
I'm trying to highlight opportunity as a means because sometimes, all we have in life is our ability to spot it (opportunities) especially when we do not possess the financial capacity to inorganically buy one for ourselves.
However, it's not easy. A lot of times, we see opportunities where there aren't any or fail to see anywhere there's one.
It boils down to developing one's capacity for discernment and establishing the hunger for knowledge which equips one with unique scopes in life and reduces chances of failure.
When I was about 8 or 9, I had a classmate whose mother sells food. Being his friend alone has created an opportunity for me.
Recognizing This Is a Gift
The opportunity here means that establishing familiarity with the boy and his mother means that I get to buy more food at an extremely cheaper rate or even get it free occasionally.
Now what I did was to help them do some basic errands so that I can pay forward whatever favors they'll do for me.
I was a kid who wanted to earn everything he had because I loved the idea of being responsible for whatever I owned or got. I didn't want to present myself as a gold digger. So I had to work for whatever favors my friend and his mother would do for me.
Survival & Loyalty Can Coexist
Make no mistake, I valued the friendship of the boy, but I saw an opportunity to survive, so I chose to maintain my friendship while surviving at a cheaper rate at the same time. It was classic "killing two birds with one stone"
Although, when I look back, I am amazed as to how my mind worked even as a nine-year-old. But then I remembered that age doesn't dwindle survival instincts, once people are born with limited opportunities to survive, the ones who show more resilience are the ones who eventually survive.
When survival is at stake, this is when people become more intentional about creating opportunities where there are only half chances
Sometimes means can come in form of being in the right position to maximize a chance that's begging to be optimized. In life, many people turned half an opportunity into a whole one, this is because there are never clear-cut chances in life.
There is no opportunity without opportunity costs, there's always a huge sacrifice to be made. There's always a price to pay. There's always a need to throw in a "make or mar" situation.
Chances & Consciousness
This takes me to the fact that some people aren't conscious of the chances around them, they're not aware of how these chances, can improve them, especially when it comes to earning them extra income, educating them, or even bringing them the right exposure that might change their lives.
A lot of people want glaring Opportunities, the ones that would come directly on a platter of gold, however, the world is a competitive place and most times, this never happens. This is why we need people.
People: A Palpable Investment
Having the right people is one of the biggest investments ever. This is because they (people) are complementary assets.
Having the right people in our lives who are conscious of the opportunities around us can be very good.
For example, one might be in the wrong hustle, trying too hard to make meaning of their life, meanwhile, there are things they could do right under their noses that could eventually bring the change they want in their lives.
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I want to encourage you to continue pursuing opportunities in life. It's great that you recognize the value of non-monetary resources in creating sustainability, and your story of spotting an opportunity at a young age is inspiring.
You are right that sometimes, opportunities are not clear-cut and require sacrifice and hard work to turn half-chances into whole ones. But with resilience and the right mindset, you can create opportunities where others might not see them.
I also appreciate your emphasis on the value of people in our lives. Surrounding ourselves with the right people who are conscious of opportunities around us can be a valuable investment.
Keep up the good work and continue to strive for success in all areas of your life!
Thank you for the detailed summary of my post. Just like you highlighted, we mostly tend to see clear-cut opportunities rather than the ones that are not.
I feel like difficult or challenging circumstances are what eventually makes us more intentional about seeking and searching especially in places where we think there were no answers in the first place.
In life sometimes we create doors especially in places where there are no doors to open.
Back in the days the idea was to seek out doors to open. But nowadays competition have just become too much and one would need to create their own doors and open them to their own passage of success.
Thanks for the amazing comment.
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I had a similar attitude growing up, I wouldn't even ask my parents for money, they knew I don't ask so they made sure I always have pocket money, there was a time I even paid my school fees from savings. I supposed characters of this kind are natural.
As for some not utilizing the opportunity right before them it is either their lack they foresight or laziness having the better of them.
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Wow, that must have been such an experience for you. As for me, I was really resourcesful as a teenager as well, and I owed this to having to depend on myself because my parents weren't really conscious enough, hence they weren't available.
I believe that we all have sides to us that we can really activate in order to do great things. Sadly there are people who limits themselves rather than choosing to be better.
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It's something that a lot of people don't consider but there are many opportunities out there for people. It's just up to people to find those opportunities. As a kid, there was no allowance and money was always tight. My parents were busy trying to pay off the house they bought so we grew vegetables and fruits in our yards. There are multiple ways to earn money and also cut back your costs.
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I learned this as a child as well and sometimes when I look back, I'm happy I did. You had such a humble beginning yourself, and I basically think that when the chips are down, this is when we begin to be more creative about finding the right Opportunities to raise us up.
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Yea. Growing up with a humble beginning teaches you a lot of things and you just learn how to get things to work out.
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That's absolutely true. I think it's a not bad especially when we think of how far we've come because of how we we're raised.
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People generally have a very narrow concept of what "opportunity" actually is and how it appears or manifests. Countless opportunities are lost every day due to people being oblivious and lacking discernment.
This is absolutely true, I think the the concept of opportunities is something a lot of people do not truly understand how it works, it happens to even the best of people. Nevertheless, I've come to understand that, life has evolved to an extent that we even now have to create our own opportunities.