Making use of opportunities

Have you ever heard your parents or friends talk about someone who has achieved great success, saying: “She was lucky to get that opportunity.”

Robert Kiyosaki is a world-renowned motivational speaker who has achieved great success in the property market and he uses this phrase: “Luck is when good preparation meets a great opportunity.” That means that you have to prepare (by working hard at your studies) so that you will be able to succeed when the right opportunity finds you.

In preparation for this, you need to take advantage of opportunities along the way, however you should not wait on opportunities, you should actively seek to find ways in which you could shape your talents towards your direction of choice.

Some schools offer career counseling where your motivations, interests and personality are matched and suitable career options are assessed. Most colleges offer this as part of their pre-enrolment programme. Alternatively, professional career counselors are available to assist.

Bear in mind that your parents may not be able to pay for a tertiary education, but other options are available. Many companies offer bursaries to promising students, which is another motivation to give it your best. Usually, companies that offer bursaries employ you at the end of your studies to “pay off” your bursary.

Alternatively, getting an “on the job” qualification is an option. Should you wish to become a hairdresser, you could take a menial job at a salon, such as reception or even passing curlers, to take care of your expenses until you are qualified.

The same applies for many careers and it’s worth a try even if you have to donate your time during school holidays or in the evenings. Do not see it as free labour, but as free training.

It may not be your dream job, but you have to start somewhere, see it as a stepping-stone. Unfortunately we cannot just waltz into a career, we have to work for everything!

No matter how talented you are in a certain professional field, you need to be qualified as a hairdresser; for instance, you need to know about different hair types and what styles suit which face types and a multitude of other things.

What I am trying to say is that instead of giving up because you do not have what you want (money to study) or because it is a bit harder than you anticipated, you should rather embrace the fact that you get to follow your dream despite some difficulties. Initial hardship will ensure you enjoy it so much more once you achieve your goal.

When things are harder than you anticipated, do not turn on the brakes on your studies, instead, work harder to break through hurdles, which are bound to occur. Turning on brakes will simply prolong the whole process.