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.

As I look back on my career as an elementary school teacher, I wonder how many enterprising young boys and girls I helped destroy in a "system" which is certainly not conducive to the development of an enterprising spirit. 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 watch my youngest son prepare to graduate with his degree in Sports Administration from Laurentian University, I am 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 the City of Greater Sudbury, and more importantly in the communities of Valley East and Capreol. 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. 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 as businessmen.

My message for young parents is clear. 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.