A lot of people like to attribute everything great that happens to a person as luck. It’s really easy to sweep all those great opportunities a person receives under the “luck rug” and call it a day and get on with life.

BUT if you take a closer look, you’ll realize it wasn’t luck but specific causes that resulted in those great opportunities coming to them.

This could very well be a topic for a book since there are so many to list and write about so we’ll only focus on a few key ones for this article.

Probably the #1 cause of opportunities coming to you is:

People.

Yes you’ve heard it – “It’s not what you know, but who you know” which I agree with, partially.

People are one of the greatest resources you can tap into. Each person has a rich source of contacts, ideas, and information that can provide you with the opportunities that you seek.

But in order to leverage that, you must do one thing:

You need to stand out from the masses.

You need to be different.

There’s no way one person can help everyone. It’s too draining.

BUT they can help ONE person, if that person is easy to spot and worthy of it.

There’s two ways to do that.

1. BE different.

2. DO something different.

BE different by holding yourself to a higher standard. Don’t settle for being average.

Be the kind of person who thinks twice about giving his word to do something, only ensuring he can promise to do the things he knows he can do so as to preserve the integrity of his word..

BE the kind of person who can get the job done, even if you don’t know how to go about doing it at first. BE the kind of person who will figure it out.

BE the kind of person people can depend on.

By BEING different in this respect, it’s very easy for people who have the potential to give you opportunities to spot you and give them to you.

Imagine if you were this kind of person at work, not the typical average person who just shows up, does the minimum, and leaves.

If you’re different in this respect, the people who are in a position to give you opportunities will easily be spot you from the masses and give them to you.

Second, DO something different.

Right now, because of the horrible shape of the economy, we have millions of jobs lost. People are out there desperately looking for work.

The masses will probably blast out their resumes and cover letters to companies, but will probably receive little to no responses, partly because they’re coming across as a “cold lead”. The interviewer doesn’t know anything about this person and to them, they’re just another piece of paper in a stack of 200 other ones.

DO something different.

Email a copy of your resume and the kind of work you’re looking for to EVERYBODY you know. Then tell them there’s a $200 reward for the person who’s able to direct you to a job, one that you successfully get employed in after you go through the process.

That’s different because you provide incentive for people to leverage their contacts to connect you with jobs that aren’t on the “public market”. Moreover, it’s easier to get your foot in the door with a recommendation from somebody who knows an interviewer who needs somebody who has your skills so you’re not a “cold lead”, in other words, not a total stranger but one that another person can vouch for (and if you’re different in the sense that you worked on becoming a better person, a person they can really vouch for). That takes about 50% of the risk out for the interviewer which greatly increases your chances of getting the job.

Creativity is the best quality you can leverage to DO something different.

Lastly, seeing as how people are one of the greatest sources of opportunities, it only makes sense to improve your social skills.

Obviously people will be more predisposed to help those they like so take the time to learn how to interact with people, build rapport, encourage them, give them your time and ideas, help them, listen to them when they need to, make small talk, etc.

It’s not something you can really learn from books, but just through sheer real world experience. Only through experience will you learn all the subtleties and nuances that cannot be captured in writing, only recognized through feeling.

The easiest way to get started:

Love life.
Love people.
Love to listen.
Love to get to know everything about the other person.

Start off with this and the rest will come naturally.

Being different in the sense of being better than average is something you should strive to do on a daily basis.

When you BECOME different and when you DO things differently, you separate yourself from the masses so it’s easier for PEOPLE, one of the best sources of opportunities on this planet, to spot you and give you those opportunities they have access to.

Being and doing things differently in a good way gets you noticed and facilitates the stream of opportunities toward you.

Then take advantage of this opportunity momentum wave and you’ll find even more opportunities will start coming your way and you’ll realize it wasn’t “luck”, but the fact that you did your part to make them come your way.

  
     

FREE VIP Newsletter First Name: Primary Email: What Subscribers Are Saying Here's a Taste of What You'll Get By Subscribing: FREE Monthly Newsletter packed with valuable information and resources on subjects such as goal setting, motivation, success, health, relationships, time management, and self improvement which won't be found anywhere else. FREE eCourse - How to Maximize The Power of Your Mind - learn what you were never taught in school about how your mind works, how you can maximize its power, and how you can use it to achieve the goals you've set. The material in this eCourse can change your life. FREE M.I.Ts - Motivational and Inspirational Thoughts (written by yours truly) that'll inject a daily dose of positive energy, help start your day off right, and move you forward to the achievement of your goals. It's completely FREE and you may unsubscribe at any time...

Copyright © 2006-2009 Brian Kim, www.BrianKim.net All Rights Reserved

Terms of Use