Critical Skill 7: The Opportunity Action Test

Fast Information and Quick Decisions

Do decisions ever come too quickly? Is choosing among your options ever a problem? it seems the more plugged in we are, the more we have to move instantly. It’s stressful. The situation can become so overwhelming that we’re stuck, standing, staring, while the world keeps turning and opportunities pass us by.

A bias toward opportunity and action can help us stay on top of the situation. The key is to base that forward leaning with solid decision making.

The Opportunity Action Test

No one wants to miss a great opportunity. Yet we all do, because great opportunities show up when we’re not ready. They don’t announce their value, nor do they look much different from big mistakes we might have made.

So how do we have a bias toward acting on opportunities that doesn’t lead down a path of personal destruction? Here’s a list of questions to help you choose the right action when an opportunity comes your way.

Does this opportunity suit me? Know who you are. If we know our values and our skills, we can be realistic about projecting our success when an opportunity arises.
Does this opportunity take me in the right direction? Know your goals. We might be right for an opportunity, but it might not takes us closer to where we’re going.
Is the timing right? Opportunities are changes that involve risk. The amount of risk our lives can handle changes based on situations and circumstances. The right opportunity at the wrong time is a bad decision.
What relationships and expectations can you see? The goals and promises of an opportunity that come to fruition are a direct result of the relationships between the people who are a part and their expectations of each other and the endeavor.
What’s the loss if you do it? What’s the loss if you don’t?

Ask yourself those five quick questions. Verbalize the answers and you’ll know the appropriate action. No more getting stuck, standing, staring. You’ll be a part of the world changing and turning.

How do you decide when to act on an opportunity?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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