Lifestyle

5 Ways To Make Better Choices When Opportunities Arise In Business

by Brian Lawrence

The common saying, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” refers to lemons as things that don’t benefit you, or to things you simply don’t like. So, when you get lemons, just throw them back.

If you genuinely don’t like doing something, then you’re probably not going to commit. Why waste the time required to do something if you’re not going to do it well? Check out these five considerations to make sure you don’t make commitments you know you won’t keep and work to make the best choices for yourself.

1. Learn To Say No

It’s actually a selfless act to pass up on an opportunity that you know you won’t totally commit to finishing. This doesn’t mean you can’t commit, but rather that you know what works for you and what doesn’t. By passing up on this opportunity, you’re kindly opening a door for someone else’s capitalization.

2. Distance Yourself

Each person has a vision for how his or her life will take course. If your gut tells you that something feels like a poor fit, recalibrate. By remaining flexible, you’re preserving a sense of happiness. Opportunities are everywhere, but it’s important to know which to take.

3. Maybe You’re Just Not Ready

There will be opportunities that present themselves that you may feel unprepared to consider. This may simply be a sign that you’re not ready to do something quite yet. You should always be learning. But sometimes, the requirements for some things that may come your way can be overwhelming. You can choose to struggle — to sacrifice your time, energy, sleep and relationships, or you could choose to challenge yourself with a task that is more manageable. It’s not productive to bite off more than you can chew.

4. Don’t Give Yourself The Chance To Make Excuses

Sometimes the sheer abundance of choices makes choosing one way a difficult task. If you ultimately pick an opportunity you regret, you’ll likely make excuses as to why you’re stuck and unhappy. Don’t give yourself that chance — take your time to decide which opportunities are really good for you and which ones definitely won’t work. And even in the worst-case scenario, remember that nothing is absolute. Life is a giant game of trial and error, so don’t get bogged down in the errors.

5. Don’t Mentally Label Every Task An Obstacle

If life throws you an opportunity and you’re ready for it, it won’t be troublesome. When you’re hyped up for something, you can’t wait to get into it. If you have a great feeling about an opportunity that comes your way, you’ll work through it.

Photo via Single Tracks