Opportunity only knocks once, right?
Wrong! What sheer nonsense!
Opportunity knocks hundreds, perhaps even thousands of times in a lifetime. We just have to be aware enough, and “tuned in” enough to recognize what Opportunity is offering us each time it knocks.
Patrick, a deeply religious man, was watching TV in his lounge when it began to rain. As he listened to the sound of the rain on the roof of his house, it grew louder and louder, until it became a thundering, deafening roar with wind howling outside.
Suddenly the TV program was interrupted and the announcer issued an immediate warning to everyone to get in their motorcars and evacuate the area as the river had burst its banks and there was imminent danger of flooding.
Patrick just smiled and thought to himself, “I have nothing to worry about. The Lord will take care of me.” As he stood looking out the window, the water started gushing faster and faster along the street. Just then a neighbor came past on his motorbike and shouted, “Patrick! We have to get out of here! Jump on the back of my bike!”
Patrick just smiled and shouted back, “Don’t worry, you go. The Lord will take care of me.”
The water continued rising until it reached window level and began spilling into the house. Another neighbor appeared coming past his window in a rowing boat. “Patrick!” he shouted. “Climb into my boat and I’ll row you to safety!”
Patrick just smiled and waved him on saying, “Don’t worry, the Lord will take care of me.”
The water now came gushing into the house and within minutes, the entire ground floor was under water.
Patrick had to run upstairs and was now watching the growing flood from an upstairs window.
Suddenly a motorboat came roaring around a corner and a neighbor shouted, “Patrick, get in quickly!” Yet again, Patrick waved him on with a confident smile. “The Lord will take care of me!”
But now the floodwaters came pouring in upstairs and Patrick had to climb onto the roof. There he was, floodwaters lapping the roof all around him, when a helicopter flew past. It hovered above Patrick and dropped down a rope ladder.
“Patrick!” the pilot shouted. “Grab onto the rope ladder and I’ll pull you to safety!” Wiping rain from his eyes, Patrick shouted back, “Don’t worry about me! The Lord will take care of me!” And the helicopter flew away.
A few minutes later, a huge wave came and knocked Patrick off the roof, into the turbulent waters and he drowned. He found himself at the Gates to Heaven, but he was now in a furious temper and demanded an interview with God himself.
St. Peter tried his best to calm him down and explain that no one gets an interview with God on their arrival at the Gates, but Patrick caused such a commotion, St. Peter went to God and asked Him to please make an exception in Patrick’s case.
Patrick came storming into the audience chamber and shouted, “How could you do this to me! I loved you! I trusted you! I put my entire faith in you! And now look at me! I’m dead!”
And God looked at Patrick sadly and said, “Patrick! I sent you your own motorcar, a motorbike, a rowboat, a motorboat and a helicopter! What more did you want me to do?”
There are countless opportunities that constantly present themselves in our lives. We just have to be prepared to recognize them and seize them ourselves … not wait for a “miracle” to do it for us.
Eric Solomon is the Founder and CEO of BecomeYourInnerHero.com -- http://www.becomeyourinnerhero.com . He has spent most of his adult life — and even part of his youth — working with people of all ages, young and old, as a mentor, coach, youth leader and teacher. As a result he has developed a deep and intuitive understanding of people — how people think and what makes them tick. He has, over the years, come across innumerable individuals who were much better than they thought they were ... and had much more potential for growth and success than they ever believed
possible. His mission has been to help and guide these individuals to discover their inner strengths, talents and
abilities ... to help get them from where they thought they were, to where they had the potential to be.
In other words, to help them discover their Inner Hero. He was involved for many years in public relations and education and is the author of “How to STAY UP When You’re Feeling Down” -- a $47 value, available FREE at his Web site -- http://www.becomeyourinnerhero.com