Keith JonesJuly 14, 2016

Every day I realize more and more how amazing my life is. Each moment that I’m alive is one to take full advantage of to do something great. Whether the sun is shining or the weather is stormy; I choose to seize the day and make something meaningful out of it. This powerful perspective ensures I am consistently in action and rarely a victim of circumstance.

Life is not always a bed of roses. It can take a bit of willpower to get out of bed and be productive every single day. But if you want to reach your goals, you have to be uncompromising in your commitment to put the work in. When you adapt this attitude, your mind opens up and you begin to see all the opportunities in front of you. I applied this mindset to recent rough patch in business. We were experiencing a challenging year financially. Membership had dropped and we needed to do something fast. Closing the doors was not an option for me. I love my friends, community and helping people reach their goals too much to call it quits. Instead, we began brainstorming ideas on what we could do new and different. Something awesome happened as a result. Where we once saw potential tragedy, we began to see opportunities and possibilities. This turned things around. We are continuing on this path of being open, exploring opportunities and seeing them through. It’s fun to reflect and see how far we’ve come and how much healthy goodness we’ve produced.

I am a goal-oriented person. I like to see progress. It doesn’t matter if it will take a while to reach the goal as long as I am learning, growing and progressing along the way. So it pains me to get to the end of the day and have nothing to show for it. I make sure this rarely happens. As a result, I no longer miss out on many opportunities.

Here are three things you can do to maximize the opportunities life presents to you.

1. Adopt an attitude that opportunities are everywhere. 
2. Be prepared for opportunities when they show up. Sports are great to use as an example. Tom Brady, New England Patriots quarterback and 5-time super bowl champion, was the back-up for his team early in his career. When the all-pro starting quarterback got injured in a game, Brady came in and led the team. He did such an outstanding job that they won the Super Bowl that year and he never gave the job back. Because he was prepared for the opportunity, he was able to seize the moment and lead his team to victory. While I’m no Tom Brady, I prepare for my opportunities by exercising and eating healthy daily, learning as much as I can for my craft and as a person, and surrounding myself with positive people who are committed to being their best.
3. Take action. Once an opportunity appears, don’t sit on it. Instead take action immediately. When you meet someone who can help you reach your goal, set up a follow up meeting that same day. This will require you prepare for the meeting which means you’re in action. At the end of the meeting, walk away with things you will do before the next meeting. Keep repeating this until you reach your goal.

Life is what you make it. So make the most of it by maximizing your opportunities.

Stronger Mindset,

Keith