One of the biggest challenges we have in society today is that
there are too many opportunities just sitting there waiting for
people to come along and snatch up.
The problem is that most of us just haven’t learned how to
recognize those opportunities, even when they are right in front
of our nose.
On the other hand, a person with imagination and ambition is
the one who comes across a pile of scrap metal and sees a
wonderful sculpture waiting to be uncovered. An ambitious person
drives through an older part of town and sees a plan for a new
housing development or a new recreation centre. An enterprising
person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life and who
is willing to take a risk to seize the opportunity when it
arises.
Jim Rohn, an inspirational writer states that,
"We can all learn to be enterprising by simply keeping
our eyes open and our mind active. We have to be skilled enough,
confident enough, creative enough and disciplined enough to jump
on opportunities when they present themselves, regardless of the
economy."
Rohn went on to say,
"Enterprising people always see the future in the
present. They always find a way to take advantage of a situation
and they aren’t lazy."
One of the points Rohn made with which I am in full agreement
is that enterprising people don’t wait for opportunities to
come to them - they go after opportunities and are brave enough
to be creative and take chances.
In order to be enterprising, you must have the courage to see
things differently and go against the crowd. By taking a
different approach you often have to stand alone and you
definitely have to choose activity over inactivity. I think back
on all of the "discipline problems" I encountered
among students during my 28 years in the classroom and wonder
how many of those boys and girls were actually merely expressing
their enterprising spirit. As teachers we did everything we
could to make them "behave" and "fit in with the
rest of the class".
As I watched my youngest son prepare to graduate with his
degree in Sports Administration from Laurentian University, I
was once again reminded that our school system does a good job
of preparing our youth to be good employees. Everyone wants to
know "Where you will be "working" next year? Have
you got a job yet?" No one asks, "What kind of
business are you going to begin? In which type of work are you
going to be self-employed? Where are you going to set up your
office?"
Agreeably, there is usually some security in finding a job
where an employer pays you for your work and you put in your
time making the employer a success. However, in order to be a
"good employee" you are often forced to repress your
creativity and ambition by following instructions and doing what
you are told. As long as you remember who the boss is,
everything will be fine.
Being enterprising means having enough self-confidence and
self-worth to look for opportunities. You must be willing to set
forth on risky voyages in order to do things which will make a
difference in your future and in the future of people who come
into your life.
Opportunity exists in every one of the cities listed on this
web site. We have talented young people who are ambitious,
enterprising and fearless. It is now up to the "older
generation" to release the chains and allow these people to
seek out the opportunities and make things happen. We must
provide them with support and encouragement while at the same
time accepting that they may do things differently from what we
would expect. That doesn’t mean that they are doing anything
wrong. It just means that they see things in a different light.
My sons have a lot more courage than I did at their age. I
don’t regret my life or the fact that I became a good
government employee with a good pension and was able to retire
early in order to get into business with my sons. But I do envy
the fact that my sons will see a lot more of the world than I
did because they are learning to go out and seek opportunities
for themselves.
My message for young parents is simple.
Allow your children to be different, to go against the crowd,
and to see the sculpture in a pile of scrap metal.
The opportunities are everywhere - just learn how to see them.