By Raúl Gorrín. How does one lead a productive life? How can one become successful in business? In life there are many opportunities that come one’s way. When that opportunity is presented to you, are you prepared to accept it with an open mind?
In 1982, Oprah Winfrey auditioned for a glorified cooking show. Did Oprah know anything about preparing food on live television? Heck no. Did this slow her down? Of course not.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, entrepreneurs are typically not blind to risk. However, they tend to view what most people consider to be “risky situations” as opportunities to be exploited. Oprah description of risk is typical of entrepreneurs: “I believe that one of life’s greatest risks is never daring to risk.”
Channeling the Roman Philosopher Seneca, Oprah later characterized her lucky break by saying, “I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity.”
I went to a friend’s graduation not too long ago from a school of fashion and design. The graduation keynote speaker was a very successful business lady. She echoed the same idea to the new graduates that Oprah Winfrey said. This is what she said……
Most graduates when they go on an interview are asked if they have this type of skill or that type of skill. Of course the answer is NO!
They are just graduating, they have no skills, just book knowledge. The keynote speaker said that when she went on her first interview and they asked her if she had a particular skill, she told them that she indeed had. She was hired and the minute she left that office after that interview , she found every opportunity to learn the skill that she needed to know. She was given a great job opportunity and she made sure that she was prepared for the job on the day that she started. She created her own luck.
She was not afraid of any challenge, she was not afraid to take risks. She told how most of her fellow graduates complained how no one wanted to hire them because they lacked experience or they had to do free internships. She on the other hand had a great paying job and a wonderful opportunity. She was not afraid to always learn and prepare for every opportunity that would come her way.
Oprah Winfrey is one of the most successful entrepreneurs of her generation. Her mother worked as a maid in Milwaukee. What were the chances that she would become one of the richest women in America? Her success was due to her open mind and seeing opportunity where others did not. On being willing to try that new task and to take a risks. If you are not intermittently failing, you are not trying hard enough. She once said, “Do(ing) the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire.”
Oprah’s message about success is empowering because she reiterates that success is not “something that happens to other people.” Success is a choice. By Raúl Gorrín.
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