When Opportunity Knocks

Have you ever been in the moment where opportunity knocked and you were caught, well, unprepared? What could've been a great shining moment in your life was overshadowed by lack of confidence, which lead to not performing the way you had envisioned, and then ultimately, the unhappiness that followed by not making the most out of the opportunity that was seized.

OR...

You were in the right place at the right time, and you had made all the preparations in case this opportunity came and when life handed it to you, you made the most of it because you were prepared for it. And afterwards, it felt perfect!

In the exact same circumstance, there are two totally different results because two different people make choices as to how it would occur to them. One chose to take the time and invest in themselves fully, and the other tried to get by with what they could, and when the opportunity came, there were two totally different results.

The main message is, unless you are prepared for Opportunity to hit you in the face, it will never really be a "great" opportunity to you. However, if you are prepared for it, it will be a moment that will alter your life forever!

Do you know who Scot Halpin is? Most of us really have no idea who he is, but I heard about his story years ago and thought it was a great example to use in my blog today.

On November 20, 1973 Scot Halpin had opportunity happen for him, and he made the most of it. He was early to get good seats at The Cow Palace in suburb San Francisco for The Who concert that was to take place that night. Following the infamous story of Drumming Legend Keith Moon taking horse tranquilizers and chasing them with a large amount of Brandy and then passing out on stage, The Who were left at the end of the night without a drummer. When lead guitarist Pete Townshend asked the audience if anyone could be their drummer, opportunity knocked.

That's when Scot Halpin was able to get to the stage. After a shot of brandy to calm his nerves, he got to play 3 songs on stage in lieu of Keith Moon with The Who. That is the chance of a lifetime, and Halpin was right in the way of that, and he made it count.

Now, if he had not practiced playing drums and put in the necessary work to perfect his craft, that would've never been an opportunity. Certainly there were other people who heard the same invitation, but they couldn't play the drums, so it never struck them as an option. All they could see was an opportunity to look like an idiot in front of 15,000 fans. But not to a drummer who had practiced for years, and now could make the most of that opportunity.

Here the footage of this event, and it's quite amazing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O-N8MZ9ilk Opportunity knocks at 5:25 of this clip!

Opportunities pop up like this everyday. Some happen just once in a lifetime, and the others just get lost in the lack of preparation and vision and become a wasted opportunity. But unless you are working hard BEFORE that opportunity comes, you will never make it truly count and make it great.

So when opportunity comes knocking for you, how will you see it? -And more importantly, how will you be great in it?