Carpe Occasionem

Take a second to think about the last opportunity that presented itself.  What did you do?  Did you run to it and seize it?  Or did you let it pass you up because you weren't hungry enough, you weren't proactive enough, or you weren't willing to fight hard enough for it?  Or perhaps you were just scared. 

I'm always shocked to watch the reaction of someone when you present them with an opportunity.  It's the ultimate test of where someone's head is at.  

I've had countless people say to me, "Scott, I want to be a Manager"

And to those same people, I've presented them opportunities to be a Manager, but with a stipulation, perhaps a move, or a short term pay cut in their base. 

The people who are willing to seize the opportunity or "carpe occasionem" are serious about the things they claim they want, and they say yes instantly, and figure it out later.

Those who are lying to themself seize right up, and begin to come up with excuses about why they can't make it happen.  

During my time building Zillow Offers, I expanded my team to an additional 5 offices (Denver, Phoenix, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Dallas) which meant I had plenty of career growth opportunities.  Over the 3.5 years we were building, I relocated 15-18 people for Manager, Team Lead, or promotion opportunities.  These people all said they were hungry for growth, and they seized the opportunity.  

A handful of other people talked a big game, but never took the plunge.  

I get it.  We're not always in the right position to take on the opportunities we think we're ready for, but when we say we want something, and we're presented with the opportunity, there is no reason to hold back.  

Money, title, perks, or contract stipulations can always come and go, but opportunity knocks at your door only do often.  

One of my best pieces of career advice is to just say yes.  Say yes!  Don't ask a million questions when you see an opportunity to see, just say yes, dive right in, and go make it happen.  Take the plunge.  

Sheryl Sandberg, the former COO of Facebook, was famously quoted once as saying, "if you're presented with the opportunity to get on a rocket ship, you just say yes and get in."

So what holds us back?  

The fear of the unknown. Our comfort zone. Uncertainty or indecisiveness. External factors like family or relationships. Or perhaps a general lack of awareness of what the opportunity could really mean. 

These are all ok.  We all have things that push and poke on our lives, and keep us from making decisions at times.  We can't be fly by the seat of our pants people who just jump at every opportunity.  That's not the point.  The point is being ready when the right opportunity presents itself.  

It's important to seek to understand in these scenarios.  Seek to understand what is, and or would hold you back from achieving the success you want to achieve.  If you're longing for a promotion, and you're presented one with a stipulation, then seek to understand the barriers in your own life to stop you from saying yes.

If you're presented with a business opportunity, then seek to understand what it would take to get you over the hump to buy in or invest.  

Part of this starts today by evaluating the anchors in our life.  What are the things today that hold us back?  What blockers do we have that will cause us to say no, and can we clear these up now?  Take the time to evaluate these blockers so you're ready when the time comes.  Otherwise, the blockers will continue to block, and opportunities will continue to pass. 

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by Scott Bond