There was once a very cautious man
Who never laughed or cried.
He never risked; he never lost,
He never won nor tried.
And when one day he passed away
His insurance was denied,
For since he never really lived,
They claimed he never died.
Anon
Opportunity
Opportunist, Bob Hoskins began his career as an actor quite by accident. It’s reported that Hoskins was in a theatre, in the West End of London, and was having a drink at the bar while he waited for a friend who was building some stage scenery for a forthcoming production.
As he sat at the bar a man came up to him and said, “Okay, it’s your turn.”
Hoskins, somewhat puzzled, looked up and replied, “Sorry?”
The man then answered, “You’re up next. Follow me.”
“For what?” said Hoskins.
“For the audition of course, that’s what you’re here for isn’t it?”
Hoskins smiled to himself and staying quiet about the real reason for his being there, he played along and took part in the audition. The producers were so impressed with the result that they offered Bob Hoskins the leading role in the play! And so began a very distinguished career.
R. Ian Seymour
R. Ian Seymour, excerpt from Discover Your True Potential
“If opportunity doesn’t knock build a door.”
Milton Berle
“There is far more opportunity than there are people to see it.”
Thomas Edison (1847-1931) inventor
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door, that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.”
Helen Keller (1880-1968), US author and lecturer who was blind and deaf from infancy.
“It’s been said that you have to love what you do but that’s not necessarily true. What is true is that you have to love the opportunity: The opportunity to build life, future, health, success and fortune. Knocking on someone’s door may not be something you love to do, but you love the opportunity of what might be behind that door.”
Jim Rohn
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
Thomas Edison
What he opens no-one can shut, and what he shuts no-one can open.
Revelation 3:7 NIV
“Many people have walked right over rich pools of oil or veins of gold, not realising what lay beneath their feet. Their vision was too limited. They only saw the ground, not the treasure hidden in it.”
John Mason
“The reason so many people never get anywhere in life is because when opportunity knocks, they are out in the garden looking for four-leafed clovers.”
Walter P. Chrysler (1875-1940), founder of motor company
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
Winston Churchill
Author John Mason says, ‘Opportunity is often lost in deliberation.’ So if God’s telling you to do something, take his hand and move forward in faith. You can’t control the direction of the wind, but by God’s grace you can adjust your sails to take you where you need to go. The great educator and scientist George Washington Carver said, ‘Ninety-nine per cent of failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses.’ Remember, opportunity is a visitor: don’t assume it will be back tomorrow. Now is the time – move while the door is open!
Source: The UCB Word For Today, 14/5/2019
When opportunity calls it’s always on a flying visit and never to take up residency. Move while the door of opportunity is open.
Opportunities pass, they don’t pause!
“Don’t wait around for opportunity to knock on your door because that only happens in fairy tales. Waiting around for the right opportunity to come knocking is like standing in the middle of a cricket field with your hands cupped together, waiting to catch the ball. It just doesn’t happen! Opportunity doesn’t knock on doors; it hides behind them. So push open a few doors and see what happens. You can always close them again if you don’t like what you find.”
R. Ian Seymour
R. Ian Seymour, excerpt adapted from Maximise Your Potential
“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.”
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), dramatist and critic
Opportunity is not something that turns up but something that is turned up!
A great many people waste a great deal of time looking for a better job when often, the truth is, if they just did a better job they would have a better job.
Today is the tomorrow you eagerly anticipated yesterday.
“The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. It is not in your environment, it is not in luck or chance, or in the help of others, it is in yourself alone.”
Orison Swett Marden (1848-1924), author and magazine editor.
“Too often the opportunity knocks, but by the time you disengage the chain, push back the bolt, unhook the two locks and shut off the burglar alarms, it’s too late!”
attributed to Rita Cooledge
The door of opportunity is always marked ‘PUSH’.
If there is no wind, row.
Ancient maritime proverb
“The greatest secret of success in life is for a person to be ready when their opportunity comes.”
– Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), British Prime Minister
OTHER FAITHS