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Become excellent at creating new opportunities
The scouts have an excellent motto. It says simply “Be prepared”. Whether or not you have ever been a scout or a guide, this is a good attitude to have towards life.
Most people coast through life comfortable in their small world. This is great while it lasts, but it rarely does. The unfortunate fact is that we live in an unstable world, where bad things happen to good people. Sooner or later, some kind of disaster will strike your life. To pretend otherwise is wishful thinking.
Perhaps you’ll lose your job. Perhaps your spouse will walk out on you. Maybe your savings will be wiped out in a financial crisis. Maybe some kind of health scare or natural disaster will strike.
It is these terrible moments that define many people’s lives. As I’ve said previously, it’s how you recover from disaster that will play a large part in your happiness.
I’m not suggesting you go survivalist or build a bunker in your back yard. I’m simply saying you should be ready to respond to such crises.
One of the best ways to do this is become excellent at creating new opportunities for yourself. Our success in life mainly comes from being able to build something of value. People who are skilled at rapidly building opportunities for themselves are those who recover best.
If you lost your job tomorrow, how confident are you that you could get a new one? Have you built up your resume and created a network of people to assist you?
If you lost your significant other, would you be able to find someone new to love? Have you kept yourself attractive? Do you know where to go to meet someone new?
If you took a financial hit because of health problems or natural disaster, could you afford it? Do you have a savings buffer?
These are the types of question you should be asking yourself. Ideally, you should be in a position where you would be able to rebuild your life even if you suffered a major crisis.
Learn to build up opportunities for yourself. This will not only improve your life now, but more importantly, will give you a toolbox for dealing with difficult times.
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