I missed the bus and I had no idea when the next one would be coming. I didn't have a bus time-table handy and there wasn't one posted at the bus-stop. I had to be at my destination in 1 hour and the bus-ride would have been 30 minutes.

I had to make a decision, quickly. Should I stay at this bus-stop and wait for the next bus which could take anywhere between soon and forever? What if the next bus only arrived in 30 minutes? Sometimes the bus company changed the frequency of bus trips depending on the time of day. I could start walking toward the next bus-stop and hope to catch the next bus there. That way, at least I'd be moving toward my destination instead of standing around waiting for something to happen. Maybe I'll get lucky and a friend driving their car might see me walking and offer me a lift!

This is no ordinary bus. This is the Opportunity bus. Opportunity has no time-schedule. It could be minutes before Opportunity arrives or it could be years. From a distance as it's approaching, it doesn't even look like an Opportunity until it is right in front of you and then you will have to be quick to jump on it before it drives away. The driver of the Opportunity bus won't hold the bus for anyone! There are other people on the bus to consider too. They made the decision to hop onto the bus and they deserve to reach their destination on time.

Missing opportunities has taught me the following:

know where you want to go - where do you want to get off?
know where you have to be to grab opportunities - where is the right bus-stop?
know what kind of people you want to meet at your destination - you'll recognise them at the bus-stop.
talk to people about where you are going and who you will meet - this creates expectation within yourself and others will hold you accountable.
ask people questions about where they are going - you might learn about a new, exciting place for your next visit
open your mind to the possibility that opportunity can appear in a form totally opposite to what you expected - this takes imagination.
be grateful that you found opportunity BEFORE it's even happened - the driver of Opportunity will pick up on your positive vibes and will stop for you.

Nicole Martin is an accountant and Certified Financial Education Instructor offering in-person financial education instruction in the Coffs Harbour, Australia area. Make up your mind not to be left behind.

This is No Ordinary Bus

Nicole Martin

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