9 Proven ways to avoid missed opportunities

Every day we’re faced with different opportunities to carry out different tasks or to forge ahead in life; it may be a new job, a promotion, a scholarship and many more. Is it normal for you to miss opportunities you may ask; yes, it is very normal?

Every missed opportunity teaches you something new, it can be having more confidence or acquiring a new skill, the possibilities are endless. Missing an opportunity can make you feel bad about yourself or a bit disappointed but we often wonder why we miss opportunities in the first place.

Why do we miss opportunities?

1. Unpreparedness

This is a very common reason why we miss opportunities. When you get a job that you’re not prepared for or a job that includes skills you don’t have, whatever the situation.

2. You’re running away from it

This can take many shapes and forms from neglecting work to using social media, applying for a job and finally getting it only to run away feeling so much pressure and having to take on new responsibilities.

3. So much noise

There’s so much going on around you and in your life that you fail to see the opportunities right in front of you. Take for example, you see some many of your friends or family excelling in different areas of their life and then you get drowned in all the good news and forget you actually have your own life ahead of you.

Ways to avoid missed opportunities

1. Update your skills set

Regardless of the field you’re in or the job you’re applying for, one way to avoid missing job opportunities is to keep learning new skills relating to your area of expertise. It’s important you do this, most jobs come with a lot of required skills and not all have the option of learning on the job, so it’s either you have those skills or you don’t. Take for example, a person in the tech field who has knowledge on only a few programming languages and sees a job that requires skills in multiple areas.

2. Set a goal

Make a goal for yourself, it could be daily, weekly, monthly or even annually. Get a journal and pen down realistic goals and work towards achieving them, use a journal instead of an app and review those goals regularly to catch up on how far you’ve gone and how well you’re doing.

3. Keep your eyes and ears open

Keep your eyes open for any opportunities that may pass you, always look for a way to find out what’s going on in your field to make sure you don’t miss any opportunities. Keep your mind opened and be optimistic at all times, you never know when you’ll see the next opportunity, it doesn’t ring a bell or give notice so you always have to be alert, staying alert is a sure way to avoid missed opportunities.

4. Work on yourself

You can’t pour into an empty cup, you always have to make some form of progress in your field so when the right opportunities comes up you’ll be ready to exploit it to the full potential. A perfect illustration would be being active on Instagram and having a brand reaching out to you for collaboration, this example shows that you had some work done on yourself/brand to get noticed and now you’re given a chance to work.

5. Change your mindset

Having goals and dreams that failed to work or happen the way we envision it happens all the time, you’ll find yourself wondering why things didn’t work out and how to avoid missing opportunities but we rarely ever look on the inside, check our values and stances on a lot of ideas and concepts.

If you assume that things have to be a particular way the you’ve got to think deep and learn to understand why you made those choices and also make changes where necessary.

6. Take risks

Learn to take risks, well thought out and calculated risks. A lot of things can pass you by when you choose to remain in your comfort zone. Challenge yourself from time to time and watch what happens, when you do this you learn something new or get an offer that you ordinarily wouldn’t have gotten if you remained in your comfort zone.

7. Take a break

When you see that a lot of things are not working properly or anymore then it may be time to take a break, a break doesn’t have to be an expensive trip to Greece, Dubai or any country at all. It could be a day at the spa, a no social media day, once this is done, you’ll be more level headed which will in turn help to avoid missed opportunities.

8. Check your emails

Whether you apply for a job or sign up for a newsletter, whatever it may be, your email is a goldmine. If you don’t check your emails regularly then you need to add that to your routine. A lot of offers, interviews, freebies, and the rest are sitting pretty in your mail waiting to be opened and if you don’t check you’ll never know. So, check that email today to avoid missed opportunities.

9. Craft good pitches and résumé

If you’re a freelancer who has to pitch for jobs then creating a worthy pitch is important, cold emailing clients with a bad pitch then the you may not get an interview talk more of a job. A good pitch should include your idea, samples and links to previous projects.

If you’re looking to work in a company or firm then you need a solid résumé, having this plays an important role in landing you the job. A good resume should include your degrees, skills, and experience.