Motivational Monday: If Opportunity Doesn’t Knock, Build A Door – On Connections

by | Sep 18, 2018 | 0 comments

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“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door” – Milton Berle
I absolutely love that quote, don’t you?  It makes the world seem like a place full of beautiful opportunities.\
When’s the last time you got a great opportunity? Were you actively looking for it, visualizing it into your future, or did it show up on its own?
I’m guessing the third category is the rarest.
That’s exactly what today’s post is about – how to find those opportunities even if you’re not sure they exist.  Sound like an impossibility?
Keep reading:

On Creating Connections

Motivational Monday 66 Opportunity
I’ll admit that a few years ago, networking and creating connections was not my strongest quality.
In fact, as good as I was at applying to jobs, I hadn’t quite gotten the grasp of networking and creating connections.
Maybe I was a bit shy. I definitely thought I was imposing and bothering people, and part of me didn’t want to be “handed” a job without having worked for it.
Now, I understand that making connections doesn’t meet you don’t deserve the job or that you don’t have to work for it. However, it sometimes means you have access to applying for jobs you didn’t know existed.
Personally, I think the most incredible part of building our own opportunities is that they can come from seemingly impossible situations.
For example, though it once seemed impossible to build a successful life as an English teacher here in Barcelona – that is exactly what I do now.
Have you ever noticed that once you build that door, opportunity keeps knocking on it?  So, go find those connections and be open to building doors!

4 Things You Shouldn’t Do If You Want That Connection

You know that feeling when you desperately want the job, or opportunity you’re seeking out?  Connections are usually the way in, right?
True…but we have to remember not to be pushy or have too high expectations.
Here are four items to check you’re not doing:
Don’t…
Motivational-Monday-94-You-Miss-All-The-Shots-Opportunities

 

  •  Look Desperate

Making connections takes time. Make sure your Linked In account is up to date, and that you are meeting as many people as possible in your area of interest. Information Interviews have helped me so much.  Sometimes, it’s a matter of emailing someone and asking if they would mind telling you more about their career.

  • Take Your Time Responding

Be sure to get back to people on time!  Students, potential clients, potential employers – even if you simply write back to acknowledge you’ve received their email and will respond back later in the day or week, it can help.

 

  • Bank On One Connection

 

Of course, cast your net wide!  Look to meet people in whatever job or social scenario you find yourself in, and ask people about themselves. People love to talk instead of listen; this way you can learn lots about them, and see if they can help you in the future.  Be ready to help them, too, though!

 

  • Be Picky (Within Reason)

So, this one’s debatable.  How picky should you be if you are on the job hunt and searching for your dream career? Balancing your financial situation and temporary job search with looking for your dream job can be tough.  While I don’t think you should apply to every job out there, interviewing for any positions that might be interesting could help you create contacts and connections for the future.

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By the way, if you’re a teacher entrepreneur looking for help on getting private tutoring clients, I can definitely help!  Head over to my Profitable Organized English Teacher course and start a full, comprehensive program to get your biz up and running. You’ll be finding clients in no time!

3 Tips: What To Do If You Feel You Have Missed Opportunities

Feel like the opportunities are out there, but they just don’t seem to head your way? Sometimes, we feel like we don’t have any connections and just aren’t sure where to start.
Here are three strategies that worked for me:

1.  Cold Call

You’d be surprised how much this works! Cold calls can be in the form of Linked In messages, emails, or actual phone calls. Simply expressing interest in someone’s organization or company can lead to them being willing to talk.  Don’t discount an opportunity or connection because you think it’s way out of your league – you may surprise yourself!

 

2.  Ask Your Network (Confidently)

Well, this one seems obvious – but ask the people you know.  Way back about a year ago, I started panicking a bit about my university teaching career in Barcelona, as I’d heard rumours that it was nearly impossible to snag a good position.

Don’t believe everything you hear!  Believe you can do it, and confidently ask your connections for information.  Be sure you tell people to keep you in mind for any upcoming jobs.  You’d be surprised what simply letting people know can do for you.  If it doesn’t manifest into something great right away, don’t worry.

Let’s just say that I can think of two excellent opportunities I have where I made the first connection over 6 months before there was an actual job lined up for me to apply to.

 

Keep going, and keeping building doors for those opportunities to slide through!

 

3.  Revisit Your Goals

I’m sure you know by now that I’m a goal-setter! To make your job or client search process the most efficient it can be, revisit your goals.  Be sure your actions align with your goals and create SMART Goals to be sure you stay on track! You’d be surprised at the connection between writing down goals and seeing them happen.
Well, I hope these tips help you start to build more connections, or develop your current network.
What connections have you created lately? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments below  🙂
Have a lovely and productive week!
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P.S. Photography lovers, the photo for today’s post (and poster!) is one I took in a beautiful square in Biarritz in 2016.


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