Where Do You Think Life's Opportunities Originate From?

All of my great "happenings" or accomplishments came from hard work,
my parents teaching me limits/boundaries, to finish what I started, to
never give up, work hard (again!!!) & to "make my own way"....whatever
that was going to be.
I paid for my own college, have worked since I was 16 etc.
Saved some money.
Paid my bills on time.
Protected my credit.
Some things happened because I was in the right place at the right time
Some opportunities came disguised in jobs, school, meeting & talking
with people etc.
My parents couldn't give me money but they gave me support, a safe,
loving home to grow up in AND morals!

I never thought of opportunity having a point of origin.
Sometimes opportunities are given.
Sometimes they are taken.
Sometimes they are made.
A lot depends on whether you actively participate in your life or if you passively let life happen to you.

what a cool question!
i think life's opportunities are a unique and hopelessly tangled amalgam of dumb luck, divine intervention, and individually created goals and patterns. it's absolutely imperative that, even though we can't be quite sure how much control or influence we have, we are energetically and positively involved in charting our own courses. the best opportunities show up for those who are actively seeking and creating them.
:) khairete
S.

"The harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." - A quote usually attributed to Thomas Jefferson, and I've found that to be quite true. Granted, not all opportunities stem from the same origin. Sometimes they stem from good circumstances (ex: being born into a wealthy family), sometimes they are pure luck. But I believe that *most* of the time they are tied to hard work and to networking. And I think that these days it really pays to work hard *and* to network - you're just not going to get as far just doing one or the other.

I am a fan of the expression, "fortune favors the well prepared."

Some opportunities are about being in the right place at the right time. Others are about putting yourself in the right place at the right time. Others still are about making the best of adversity; and others are about having a frame of mind/ presence of mind to see a need and to be able to fill it. Some arise out of being genuinely goodhearted/ benevolent and inviting the same in turn.

Sorry if I spouted a bunch of plattitudes, but this kind of question kind of lends itself to that.

If I were to advise a kid I would offer two thoughts-
1. fortune favors the well prepared.
2. happiness/ opportunity are not an objective measure. You might be upset that the bus broke down, I might be thrilled because it put off a meeting I was dreading.

Best,
F. B.

Interesting question.
I grew up in a house in an excellent school district.
I never went to school too hungry for concentration.
My mom had a car.
My family (single mom) alwYs had "enough."
I had the grades and opportunity to get into a university and I was healthy enough to be able to WORK my way through school.
I didn't have to support my family instead of spending my money on tuition and books.
I think "opportunity" looks different to different people.
I think "opportunity" could look like growing up in unspeakable horror yet gleaning a sense of rising above from that.
However, I do think the myth of "pulling ones self up by the bootstraps" just might not apply equally to all. I think it's a myth propagated by those that may not fully understand the devastation of abject poverty and the unique challenges that accompany it.
For the truly poor (not "hard times" intermittently here and there) the idea of "working hard enough" to break the cycle IS a myth. The poor are probably the single hardest working segment of society.
So, I suppose, "opportunity" is about as varied as people are varied.

I think the fantastic opportunities come from a whole bunch of different things.
Good luck
Good family ties (born to rich parents or famous parents)
Experience
Hard work
Who you know (I think that one is HUGE)
I don't teach my kids anything about "good opportunities." I don't really know how you would. I teach them to work hard, be kind, be moral, help when they can, be comforting, and be good people.
L.

Honestly, I'm very committed to teaching my son, "Look for opportunities to be kind, to make a positive difference for others. And work hard, because important things aren't easy to do." I honestly believe that for people who really put that into practice, all that networking stuff takes care of itself.

In other words, if people are all about looking for opportunities to get ahead (and I'm not saying you are, people in general), then they're missing the whole point. Of everything.

My response mirrors others. Work hard so that luck will find you.

Generally, you need several of the things you identified to benefit from opportunities. It all starts with hard work and preparation. But then one needs the opportunity to be presented. Sometimes this is because of family/social circles. Sometimes dumb luck. Sometimes a combination of a myriad of things. Hard work alone generally won't be enough, but it is often essential to convert opportunities into success.

My kids know they have to work for what they want. They should not expect for anything to be given to them. They know we expect for them to at least get graduate degrees (they are 10, 8, and 6 right now), because they will be required when they start working - in my opinion.

They see the places they may end up living if they work hard and where they might life if they don't. They will have the same things I have had in life, as far as parents to fall back on if they need help...but they should not expect anyone to pay their bills or make life easy for them.

I think growing up with a silver spoon in your mouth doesn't guarantee success in your own life anymore than growing up in poverty guaranttees you will be unsuccessful. It's up to individual people to do what they want to do in life. Choices give us rewards and consequences.

Sometimes we don't always have a choice though...if we have to work to help support our family instead of going to college. Or if we have to work two jobs to take care of our kids and have to give up that family time. But I know for me, I struggled beacuse I had kids young. My parents did not finance me having children early. I struggled to finish college (for which I have loans I am still paying) and get the job that started my career on the right path. So even when it seems like the struggle might be too great, I think we still have the opportunity to fight through it.

It is a choice.
Because, even if a particular thing may be by "luck".... or whatever, it is still a choice, of that recipient, to then take it on or choose it or accept it.
Or not.
Because, everyone has free will.
And even if you are a static rock just sitting there not doing anything, all the luck in the world, is not going to do you any good, unless you also are dynamically, interacting in it or the circumstance. Too.

And, even when some people are lucky or receive something as a result, that does not mean, they actually do anything about it.

No way do I teach my kids, to just "wait" for things.
That is just useless.

Hi A.,
I love your post! It is interesting, I talk to my kids a lot about this in one way or another.
I think that happiness and success are intimately united; they result from different factors and a godly plan. Happiness is a measure of our success in life, success in our job, marriage, parenting, friends and family relationship, etc. and how we achieve all this? Working hard. Working hard either coming from a wealthy family or a poor family.
Working hard in our relationship with people, with our family, our friends, people at work, our neighbors...that requires a lot, and we all know this. Having the job, the ideal job we want requires hard work and a lot of discipline:
get up early, update our skills to be the best and earn more money, dedicate our time to improve ourselves in the field we are, learn and keep a good relationship with co-workers, the boss, the janitor.....everyone!
Working hard to find opportunities: opportunities do not come to those who are lazy or want everything easy. Nope.
Develop character and follow your values and the kind, good people who succeed (leaders not followers).
there are 2 quotes I love about this, and remind my children about it:
"There are thousand excuses for failure, but never a good reason" (Mark Twain), and,
"We are what repeatedly do; excellence then is not an act but a habit." (Aristotle).
Yes, we all want to be happy, and successful human beings, but most of the time we just hope or want that, but we do not always work hard and plan to achieve these goals.
A.:)

(answer changed for content and on further thought)

I think opportunities sometimes fall into our lap, sometimes we have to work a little harder to recognize them or seek them out. We have to be willing to step out of our comfort zone sometimes, which I know is difficult sometimes.

The other piece of it is that we figure out what matters most and which needs we most value having met. People have varying desires at different times in their lives. If a person is living with integrity to their own internal values, they can deal with a lot of external trade-offs. I don't know if that makes sense, but here's one example: A person might decide to leave a toxic environment (work or marriage or family) and suffer some losses,be it relationships or financial.... all that to say, while what we had to start with somewhat determines part of our path, we can move forward in a different direction if we are brave and thoughtful about it. It's best when decisions are based in responsiveness instead of being reactive.

Choosing contentedness, choosing to do things well because anything worth doing is worth doing well.... I think attitude has something to do with how we perceive our life to have opportunities or not, whether we wait for them or decide to pursue them on our own.

I think it starts with you, your inner self, with what you want to do/be. We are exposed to our environment and that can help or hinder our outcome. Trials and tribulations also play a part of who you are and how you overcome the obstacles that are placed in our way. Chance and timing come into mind as well.

Hard work and determination are rewarded with success and good opportunities. There are times when we miss the opportunity or we are not ready to go to the next step when things are presented to us. Sometimes additional education is needed to go forward in your career or job.

Several times I have found myself writing notes for things to do about fives years ahead of when I actually do them. However, in the time that it takes to really do the project I have been working behind the scenes to improve my skill set or research needed information.

As for the children, I tried show them by examples in education, work ethics, and goal making in order to attain success. A positive attitude the half full glass of wine and not the half empty glass of wine. Sometimes a setback is also needed for experience to keep people on the right track.

I hope I was not all over the place with my answer. My children (40 and 36) are adults and on their own and successful.

the other S.

With hard work and dedication, opportunities will present themself.