Recently I heard Edwin Haynes, author of “You Have Permission To Succeed” define Poor as “Passing Over Opportunities Repeatedly”. Whether he is also the author of this definition is irrelevant to my musings. I remember pausing ….. taking a Time Out and thinking how many times we miss the opportunity in a situation because we are so focussed on the negative implications, or we run out of oil, just before the finish line.
This evening I heard for the nth time, the parable of the ten virgins translated in a way that I had never heard before. Oh yes five were still wise and five were still foolish. Their lamps still ran out of oil and so they missed the bridegroom, they missed their opportunity as we also often do because we are too busy to take a Time Out, to allow the butterflies/the opportunities to land.
It drew me back to Edwin’s definition of POOR and then even further back to life as a student, when posted on my bedroom wall was a plaque that read “Happiness is like a butterfly, which if pursued will elude you, but if you were to sit still will alight upon you” – And so too opportunity.
Opportunities are churning out dime a dozen around us. However for us to embrace them and benefit from them, we must take Time Out to
i) be aware of them
ii) be able to discern which is for you
iii) build your inner strength to see them through
Time Out…….. the intentional cessation of an incomplete task
Judy Joseph Mc Sween is the Principal Consultant/CEO of Meredith Mc Sween International – facilitating internal transformation in individuals, teams and organisations. Contact Judy for information on her “Time Out Corporate Interventions” Email judy@meredithmcsween.com or call 684 9827
are you ready for a time out? 