Success does not happen overnight.  Most successful people spend many years working on a dream.  But opportunities can strike suddenly.  And as we discussed before, success is preparedness waiting for an opportunity to knock.  One of the most important traits of successful people is the ability to recognize when the long-awaited opportunity finally presents itself.

But recognizing the opportunity alone is not sufficient.  Most opportunities tend to come with risk.  They may involve financial uncertainties that you may not be totally comfortable with.  Or they may lead to changes in your lifestyle that you may have to think twice about.  Change is always hard.  And the fear of change or risk can put you into a frozen state.

Opportunities also have a way of disrupting your perfectly laid out plan.  You might have planned a carefully designed budget that suddenly becomes totally unmanageable.  Or you may have put together a retirement plan that will have to be reconsidered.  Or you may have planned to live in a certain place for a long time, but suddenly you may have to move in order to take advantage of the newly discovered opportunity.

These decisions are never easy to make.  But that should not stop you.  Successful people know what they want, and they spend a long time getting ready for it.  So when the “it” appears right in front of their eyes, they move decisively, not allowing their fears to get in the way.  Note that we are not talking about taking imprudent risks here.  We are talking about making a decision with the understanding that there are calculated risks involved in every situation that presents potential rewards. 

We are currently living in an environment of uncertainty and disruptive economic forces.  Whenever you go through a financial crisis like the one that we just went through that is so severe that it is considered one of the worst in a century, you can be certain that there will be fear.  But there will also be opportunities.  We went through a significant drop in the stock market a little over a year ago, but today the markets are coming back with a vengeance.  Did you take advantage of this situation and leverage the opportunity created by this market disruption?

If you haven’t, here is another one to consider.  Real Estate prices have dropped significantly compared to a few years ago, and interest rates are as low as you will likely see for a long, long time.  Are you taking advantage of this opportunity to perhaps get into your dream home?  Or are you also letting this one pass you by?

Are there risks?  Of course.  The economy could go into another dip, and there is a lot of concern out there about debt-laden countries in Europe.  Foreclosures continue to challenge the housing market.  Government spending could derail the dollar and the US economy.  But if those factors were not in play, the opportunities might not be there. 

Success awaits those that know how to prepare, recognize, an act upon an opportunity when it knocks.  And remember, life is short.  There are only so many opportunities that will come your way.  So when they do, do not hesitate for too long.  Act decisively.