Pam is Founder and CEO of TPK Properties LLC, a property investment and consulting firm focused on investor capital preservation and growth.
We often think of opportunity at the dawn of a New Year or the beginning of a new season. It’s like the turning of the leaves or the strike of the clock at midnight as the calendar turns to a new year, which provides us with an awakening of some sort.
I’ve been reflecting on my careers—both my time in aerospace engineering and my time in commercial real estate investing—and while both chapters of my career were rich with highs and lows, they both had opportunities at all stages and phases. While I may not have seen the opportunities clearly at the time, the age-old saying is true, “Hindsight is 20/20.”
When I think about how to identify opportunities, I recognize that one has to be present. Our day-to-day can be all-consuming, leaving us feeling like mice on a hamster wheel. The key is to determine how you can be present in the moment and not merely focused on what is next.
I also have spent some time reflecting on how you create space for opportunity. The reality for most of us is that our days are scheduled end to end with no real time to just…be. This endless cycle can make us feel productive, but it begs the question, are we productive or simply busy? Would it be better to schedule in downtime to simply think, breathe and allow your mind to open up to new ideas? It can feel unproductive to essentially “do nothing,” but it is in those quiet times we often discover the opportunities that we seek.
Here are five ways to create space for recognizing opportunity in every season.
1. Develop presence.
Establish a ritual for getting yourself present in the moment. For many people, this looks like meditation in the morning or journaling in the evening to set their day up for success or to decompress for the day. You can also implement a routine you can utilize mid-day or when things get extra intense to bring yourself back to a state of presence. For some, this looks like taking a brief walk or listening to a short podcast or connecting with a friend.
2. Identify and implement productive yet flexible scheduling.
So many people fail to plan or simply don’t see the value in it. Instead, they spend so much extra time trying to plan things out as they go, and often, they end up missing great opportunities or realize they ended up with so much valuable time wasted.
Scheduling not only allows you to organize your day with intention, but it also allows you to flow better when unknowns happen throughout the day. From using an old-school planner to choosing an app or digital software to help you organize your tasks—there are many options to help you create the best schedule for you and your needs.
Plan your day around your top three priorities and outline tasks that need to be completed at specific times. Utilizing the power of three helps you remain focused and not overwhelmed. Time block your calls, meetings and other times you need to effectively create space for everything you need to complete in the day.
3. Create space for downtime.
Productive scheduling also needs to include space for downtime. We often hear that our best ideas come to us in the quiet moments, so making sure that you have time set aside in your schedule for this is vital to your effectiveness and efficiency.
Allow yourself unscheduled time to literally do nothing and just be with yourself. As hardworking as we are, we often struggle with feeling guilty when doing the perceived “nothing.” We are human beings, not human doings, which means sometimes we need to “do less” to “be more.”
4. Outline areas of opportunity.
Every day is a chance to learn, and often, while journaling or reflecting on the day, we become aware of areas in which we can improve. Whether these areas are large or small, recognizing them is important so that you can continuously make small improvements that can add up to great change.
Remind yourself that small ripples combine to make larger waves of change down the line. Lean into the opportunities, great or small. Every step adds up.
5. Define an action plan to execute opportunity growth.
Once you have identified areas you can grow in, the key to seeing that happen is creating an action plan to get there. Without action, goals are merely dreams. Outline specific and measurable steps you need to take to make the changes you wish to see and incorporate these into your overall scheduling of action items each day.
Be reasonable with your measurable steps and milestones. Allow room for flexibility when setbacks happen because they will. Life rarely happens “perfectly,” but I have learned it happens just as it should.
The one constant in life is change, which can be a wonderful thing. While change is inevitable, growth is optional, yet it is often found in having the ability to be present and create space for new opportunities. Every day is full of moments in which we can seize the opportunity to elevate or choose to remain the same. Channeling courage and choosing to be intentional with your time can be empowering and liberating. After all, a life well lived is one lived with intention.
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