Today I want to talk about seizing and creating opportunities.

But before we jump right into it, let's lay down a simple definition of what seizing opportunity is.

And in my opinion, I think it comes down to two points.

Solving problems.

Realizing hope.

Who doesn't want that?

Who doesn't need that?

Everybody's looking forward to seize their next opportunity in life.

The problem is chances are rare.

They come and go every once in a while, lasting only seconds of a moment.

So, how do we capture, how do we hold on to these life-changing instants?

I'd like to put this in a metaphor.

Imagine yourself in a soccer match, 90 minutes of time, 22 players on the field.

Now here's a question.

How much time do you expect to have control over the ball?

How much time do you think you'll have the ball at your feet?

Guess.

Three.

Two.

One.

The answer is, according to stats, on the average, it's less than two minutes.

I know, quite shocking, right?

I was surprised, too.

And among all the players, the central forwards get the less time with merely 49 seconds plus and minus 43.

So if you were the striker trying to make a goal, you would have at most 92 seconds in a 90-minute game to make that happen.

What sets the top strikers apart from the others is the ability to do their magic in those 90 seconds.

Chances come and go in an instant.

They don't choose occasions.

They don't wait until you're ready.

They don't wait until you get into position.

They don't come in from your preferred angle or when you expect.

They don't attend to you.

You attend to them.

And so, to catch your chances, here are three tips.

First and number one.

You have to be alert.

You have to be focused.

You have to always be on your toes, that way when your opportunity comes in an instant, you can seize it in that moment.

Just like players on the field, people who make the run every single moment are getting themselves in the best condition(position) to seize that chance of a shot.

You don't wait for something good to happen, you attend to it.

You attend to it so that you're making yourself capable, you're making yourself available of making something happen when the condition and time is right.

That's number one.

Second, number two.

No, excuse.

This is a very important mentality.

One reason I like Lionel Messi so much is because of his attitude.

Some people like to call him the dog man ... out of respect.

Because he's always so focused and concentrated on the ball.

Trying to make plays, trying to make passes, trying to take shots.

People know what magic he can do, so he often gets tackled.

He often gets brutally fouled on.

But he rarely goes down and cries for foul, nor does he look at the referee for cards.

As long as he's capable of keeping himself in the game, he'll get right back up and keep chasing the ball.

He's so concentrated on trying to win that he doesn't have any time to whine or complain.

And that's a winner's mentality.

Your opportunity might come to you when life is treating you unfair.

When you're down.

When you're weak.

When you're sick.

When you're alone.

When you're suffering.

When you're strapped for cash.

Are you gonna lie down and cry for foul?

Or are you gonna get up on your feet?

Try to make that run?

Try to make that play?

Attitude is very Important.

'Cos opportunities do not attend to your needs.

They're neutral.

They come and go.

There's no space for excuses.

That's number two.

Third and last, number three.

This is something that we can all do beforehand.

And that is to be well-prepared.

When the ball comes right at you, you only have less than a second to put it in the back of the net.

Even if you're focused.

Even if you're in the right position, even if you're in the right mindset.

You could still miss that game-changing shot if you don't have the proper skills.

So to seize your right opportunities, you need to build your skills, your knowledge, your capabilities for months, years, if not more.

You have to polish it to the extent it becomes a habit, a natural instinct.

So that it'll come to use anytime, anywhere you need it to.

In other words, you have to intentionally command yourself on and off the pitch.

When you're off the pitch, command yourself to be disciplined.

Train, learn, prepare yourself.

When you're on the pitch, command yourself to be focused, alert, agile, continuously making the run into position.

And that is the same thing with everything in our lives.

That is exactly how we should prepare ourselves to seize those opportunities in life.

Chances come to those who run every day.

Peace.