Three tips to get "lucky" when the opportunity shows up
It’s been a few years since I started consciously working on my personal development.
Before I made that decision, I was just cruising around and letting life take me wherever it wanted to take me, without putting a lot of AWARENESS into the whole process.
Now that I think about it, I was very FORTUNATE with the OPPORTUNITIES that came into my life.
But, even though I was not aware of my process then, I did have something that got me to take advantage when a “LUCKY” opportunity showed up.
Whenever the opportunity came, I acted and went for it. I did my part of the work and the rest worked out itself.
I think now about when I was back in Spain, finishing my MS in Industrial Engineering.
My professor had a contact with a professor in New Orleans that was looking for students to do their PhD. He was offering full scholarships to go to the University of New Orleans and do the PhD in Engineering with him at the Mechanical Engineering department.
I’ve never had a goal of doing a PhD, as it was, I was struggling to finish my MS because I wasn’t very motivated…
I’ve never had a goal to travel to the US, but I was always great with English, taking any chance to practice it, and I used to dream about travelling the world one day.
So, when the opportunity showed up, something clicked in.
I was taking my last classes for my MS. I needed to finish my Thesis and present it and that would need to happen within a year to apply for the scholarship.
I also needed to take the TOEFL® test (Test of English as a Foreign Language®) and make sure I pass it, prepare all the transcripts and figure out all the thousands of tiny details that are required when you are moving to a foreign country and you are leaving your parent’s home for the first time.
Oh yes, I was living with my parents while I was doing my Master because the university was at walking distance. So, this opportunity was a HUGE LEAP for me, not just physically to the other side of the world, but also mentally.
I was leaving home, to another country, another culture, another way of living. And I was doing it on my own, without anybody else I knew.
I had to make a passport (I’ve never travelled internationally before), identify all the immigration details, understand how the student visa works.
Then the opportunity presented itself, I had the chance to meet my future professor in person because he was visiting Spain and he was going to be in Madrid for a few days.
So, I jumped on the bus and travelled to Madrid, a 6-hour trip from my hometown.
After I met with him and his wife, they invited me to attend their International Conference that was going to be in Tenerife that same year.
That was the first time I flew in a plane. But I went on with it.
I attended the conference, helped with the registration and whatever was needed, and presented my research to date, in English, to a scientific crowd of unknown people.
It was my first time giving a technical presentation in English. I was FREAKING OUT.
It was my first time in a conference like this! But, I jumped and DID IT ANYWAY.
That last year of my MS went by quick. I managed to complete all the tests for the last classes, finish my research and write up my thesis, present it and received the highest grade.
And when the time came up, I left my parents’ home and my parents, I left my sisters, I left my friends and everything I knew and got in that plane to a new world.
I had the biggest suitcase you can imagine…I didn’t know what to bring because this was not just a vacation! I was moving out! I could almost fit inside the suitcase… I still have somewhere a picture of me packing up that gigantic suitcase where you can see my tense face and the stress radiating from my eyes…but I did it anyway.
I landed in New Orleans mid-May of 2002. My professor’s wife picked me up at the airport.
And then, she took me to dinner to a Japanese restaurant; my first-time ever eating sushi… and I tried it anyway…now, it’s my favorite food!
From that day onward, I experienced a lot of first-timers.
I was living in a different culture and many of the things I saw in the movies when I was in Spain were now in front of me in real life… peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were real!!!!
I was amazed and so incredibly grateful for the opportunity I had.
Reflecting back, it seems that I went through that time just “winging it”. I had so many lucky breaks coming my way that I don't know how it happened.
But what I realized is that even though I wasn't consciously choosing my next steps, there were three things that I was doing:
I was open to try and willing to take the risks even if I was afraid.
When I had to prepare for the next steps, I did whatever it was needed.
I was going with the flow, but also allowing myself to be open to anything.
And I think that’s the trick to get lucky.
You need to be OPEN to anything that shows up. Because the Universe has it own way to get you to your next destination.
Sometimes you get so hung up with how things need to happen that you don't recognize opportunities when they show up and your luck passes you by.
So even though I don't recommend going around just “winging it”, I do think that you need to be more RECEPTIVE to other ways of doing things.
If you want to grow and become your better version, you need to have your dreams and goals and break them down into smaller action steps to take. Clarity is key and very important, but also be open to the possibility of achieving your goal in many different ways.
Don't limit yourself to just your way. Because sometimes the Universe has other plans that are way MORE FUN that you can imagine!
I wanted to travel, but my imagination was not taking me to the US when I was living in Spain.
But by being open, crazy and AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES showed up and it’s far beyond anything I had imagined!
So, tell me, are you READY TO JUMP if the opportunity shows up? Will you take action and move forward despite the fear?
Are you open for the “lucky” break to knock on your door?
Share below what experience you had in your life where you had a really great opportunity and you jumped all in despite your fear. I’m looking forward to hear your experiences!
xoxo,
Sofia