How to decide what opportunities to take

In yesterday's discussion I talked about risk taking and being true to your values. Today I would like to briefly talk about how to measure what opportunities (business opportunities or other types of opportunities) may be best for your to take. Again, I am not going to recommend one opportunity over another, but would like to basically toss ideas out for you to measure against your own personal measuring stick. What may feel right for me may be absolutely wrong for you, but at least I can hopefully get some thoughts going for you.

If you are interested in getting into a business opportunity, or want to earn a second income, be sure it is in an area that you are personally passionate about. You may already be working in a position that earns an income, but you may not be that crazy about what you are doing. In second income opportunities, you want to enjoy what you do and look forward to working the business.

Before you start any new project, it is a good idea to talk to people you trust. They may not have the opinion you want to hear, they may even think you are crazy to start something new, but listen to them anyway. You do not have to take their advice, but it is important that you gather as much information as possible from all angles. Keep in mind that some of your trusted people may not like what you are proposing because it scares them, not because you may fail. Be prepared to hear negative comments about your ideas, but again, remember what is important to you, do not let anyone sway you away from an idea just because they don't like it. I like to remember the phrase from William Shakespeare, "To thine own self be true". Even if you fail at a project that your friends thought was crazy, at least you gave it a whirl. You will always find that you learned something from the project, either what not to do in the future, or what was a great idea...

I read a really good article by Joyce Shafer about being "true to you". In this article she brings up some really great questions that you should ask yourself before starting on a new endeavor, such as:

• "Who would you really like to interact with?
• Why them?
• What about them or their lives will be different as a result of engaging with you? and
• What are the ways you might do this with or for them?"

These are some really good thought-provoking questions. Another one I personally believe in is: Who do you want to associate with and who do you want to associate with you? You are usually only as successful as the people you interact with. If you hang around a bunch of nay-sayers, then odds are that you won't progress very far past what they have done.

I am reminded of the story of the frogs who tried to climb a building. (I am paraphrasing) Some of the little frogs tried to climb the building, but all their friends kept telling them that they could not climb the building so as a result the frogs did not get to the top of the building, except for this one little frog. The reason this frog succeeded where the others failed is because this frog was deaf and did not hear all the comments about the task being impossible.

I believe in listening to others, researching, and looking at all angles, but in the end, you have to follow what you believe in, not what others believe you can or can't do. Be like that little frog and listen to your heart. You will be amazed by what you can accomplish.

If you are interested in looking at second income opportunities or other business opportunities, please visit www.hawgwash.net or feel free to e-mail us with questions. We may not have what you are looking for, but there is a chance that we may be able to help point you in a direction you are looking to go...

Until next time...