The Opportunity Game

What’s the big deal about opportunity? The answer lies in its very definition. According to the Random House Dictionary an opportunity is “a situation or condition favorable for attainment of a goal.” The Opportunity Game is played by shifting every situation or condition so that it is favorable for the attainment of some goal that is important to you. Naturally, there are many opportunities that you seek to avoid. Those that deliberately cause pain, injury or death to yourself or others are clearly opportunities to be avoided. However, even in seemingly negative situations there are possibilities to be explored.

The key to becoming masterful at playing The Opportunity Game is to be agile in mind and heart. In the game of life, the rules frequently change, often without prior warning. You must be prepared to catch whatever is thrown your way and run with it to the finish line. Your ability to quickly shift your attitude or perspective about any given situation will afford you far more opportunities for success than if you are stuck in a mindset that doesn’t support you. An old Taoist parable speaks well to this issue:

When an old farmer’s stallion wins a prize at a country show, his neighbor calls round to congratulate him, but the old farmer says, “Who knows what is good and what is bad?”  The next day some thieves come and steal his valuable animal.  His neighbor comes to commiserate with him, but the old man replies, “Who knows what is good and what is bad?”  A few days later the spirited stallion escapes from the thieves and joins a herd of wild mares, leading them back to the farm.  The neighbor calls to share the farmer’s joy, but the farmer says, “Who knows what is good and what is bad?”  The following day, while trying to break in one of the wild mares, the farmer’s son is thrown and fractures his leg.  The neighbor calls to share the farmer’s sorrow, but the old man’s attitude remains the same as before.  The following week the army passes by, forcibly conscripting soldiers for a war, but they do not take the farmer’s son because he cannot walk.  The neighbor thinks to himself, “Who knows what is good and what is bad?” and realizes that the old farmer must be a Taoist sage. (From The Tao Book and Card Pack by Timothy Freke)

Every situation contains an opportunity for deepening your awareness of self and other. Cultivating curiosity and lack of attachment will allow you the freedom to explore and learn from whatever comes your way. Asking yourself powerful questions is one method of staying unattached to any particular outcome. Being unattached does not mean being disengaged. It means that you have a fluid mind and heart that are able to connect with a variety of possibilities. You are open and prepared to receive whatever comes next.

What opportunity is presenting itself to me right now?

What is the learning available from this situation?

Imagine the exact opposite of your situation. What is the learning from that circumstance?

How can I make this situation work for me and others?

The opportunity is here right now. It’s just waiting for you to see it and embrace it.

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