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This is the first guest post on this site and very appropriately, it is by my mum Anne.

Mothers are often the greatest inspiration in their daughter’s life. My mum is no different except that she inspires me on so many levels above and beyond being a very special parent: as a wife, daughter, sister, teacher and friend.

Calm in all things, generous to everyone and perfectly content in her skin, each day I become more aware of how lucky my sisters and I were to be gifted with such a mum.

Having also been a positive influence in the lives of countless school children, my mum retired from primary teaching earlier this year.

She is finding her feet in this world beyond serving others and as she looks to the horizon (the picture above is an artist’s impression of the view from our family home), she shares these words with us….

Simone always says that when one door closes, another opens.

It was very difficult at first, but as I look back over the first three months of retirement I am able to examine my daily round and find golden moments embedded in the days gone by.

Highlights have included:

• Watching two baby magpies fledge from their nest in the pine tree on the median strip in front of our home. Their plaintive cries have led to us rescuing one from our pool, watching them waddle onto the road following the adult birds and exulting in their new found flying skills;
• Knitting a T-shirt for my six-year-old grandson’s stuffed monkey. He thinks sewing a few stitches is knitting, so I’ve been able to avoid digging out my knitting needles;
• Driving my car towards a perfectly formed rainbow which traveled in front of me all of the way into the city;
• Walking the four kilometers’ round trip with my husband, who is recovering from a knee replacement; walking down to the beach, along the boardwalk and back takes us about forty minutes;
• A snake slithered out of the sand dunes towards our house until, deterred by dive bombing wattle birds, he headed back as quickly as he came;
• My irascible, aged mother has been in and out of hospital and the wonderful nursing staff continue to willingly care for her, and
• Finally, for several nights in a row, no matter how late the hour I went to the sink by the window overlooking the trees, a bird would sing to me. I experimented to see if he thought the light was the morning sun, but it did not influence his song if it was already off or on. I had an image of my window being his goldfish bowl and I the pet swimming within.

He has gone away lately, but for a few nights he brought cheerfulness to my life.

I look forward to the next new visitor to my window.

As we move inexorably towards another Christmas period with all of the implications of family and togetherness, I send you greetings.

Anne Martin

People tend to take two approaches to the arrival of an opportunistic knock at their door.

They either morph into the Welcome Mat or the Do Not Disturb Sign.

Welcome Mats are the first to greet an opportunity and often do so with enthusiasm.

They can be easily convinced and are sometimes rewarded for getting in early on a good idea.

On the down side they are also exposed to unwanted visitors bearing undesirable tidings, whose only real interest is to wipe their feet while they case the joint.

Do Not Disturb Signs, on the other hand, keep a locked door between them and the opportunity.

They are wary and slow to respond.

While they are secure in their distance from potential scammers and time-wasters, they also have to live with the regret of the great opportunity that moved on next door.

But there is a third group of people who reside elsewhere. They are the ones who know how to embrace an opportunity while minimising their exposure to risk.

They are the Opportunity Experts.

Insights into Opportunity Experts

Do you really think that Opportunity Experts are simply in the right place at the right time?

Like all good things, the ability to recognise and utilise an opportunity doesn’t simply drop into your letter box. It requires planning and preparation.

Opportunity Experts do not wait for the knock at the door. They go out into the world, with opportunities already in mind, and take action to give good ideas focus and form.

Most successful people follow a simple plan.

They put time and energy into identifying:

1. What they want to achieve today
2. What action they are going to take to achieve it
3. What strategies they will use to ensure their actions result in success

If success does not result from putting their plan into action, they don’t retreat with their hat in their hands, but examine their opportunity from another angle.

Rather than slamming the door shut, they keep it ajar and look at other ways of making a successful entrance.

The Opportunity Community

More than ever networks are playing an important part in recognising opportunites.

The days of the Old Boys’ Club are fading. Opportunity has increased and broadened as the barriers between the sharing of knowledge and ideas have diminished.

Conversely, however, opportunites have also become harder to recognise as people have moved away from personal contact and the development of interpersonal skills.

The reality is that making the most of an opportunity requires, if not a sense of community, then a connection with others.

You cannot be the strange lady living alone on the hill.

Opportunity experts are good at mingling with “the people”, often developing a sort of social antenna to tune into good ideas. People talk to them, ask their opinion and bounce ideas off them.

While they might work hard to develop business or organisational or technological know-how, they also nurture their interpersonal skills.

These skills include the ability to empathise with and be sensitive to social trends, cultural differences and personal needs.

In summary, they understand that every encounter with another human being is a potential opportunity.

Consider the following questions to gauge your own sensitivity to others:

• Did I discover something new about someone yesterday?
• Did I speak with someone new yesterday (more than just “hello”)?
• Did I notice any unusual emotions amongst any of my friends / colleagues yesterday?
• Did anyone I know have a great day yesterday? Why?
• Did I teach someone something new yesterday?
• Did I help my friend / partner / sibling yesterday?

Don’t be surprised if you can’t answer “yes” to many of these questions. But if you don’t try to become more aware and engaged, don’t be surprised if opportunities also fail to cross your threshold.

Improving Your Opportunity Antenna

So perhaps you are a great planner, sensitive to others, a strong communicator with a community spirit…

Then why do so many opportunities seem to slip past you unrealised?

The first thing to remember is that nearly everyone has one great idea that they never do anything about.

I myself have had two business opportunities that I never pursued, but which others have gone on to have great success with. Similarly, I have both business and personal relationships that I failed to fully develop.

Simply put, we have all had moments where we missed the knock at the door.

But that doesn’t mean that we have to lie down like a mat or to retreat behind a “Do Not Disturb” sign.

Instead, try applying some of these techniques and improve your antenna for the next opportunity that comes knocking:

1. Get to Know Your Neighbours

While community spirit may be on the decline, the online community is booming. Clever social networks are drawing like-minded souls together across time and space.

Take the time to develop relationships with good contacts and you may find opportunities coming at you through the keyboard.

Just remember to use your real-life instincts to validate the intentions of your virtual neighbours.

2. Become a Problem-Solver

When people ask me what I do for a crust I respond by saying, “I solve problems.” Sadly, in today’s world, there are lots of problems to choose from.

The important thing is to get into the practice of identifying solvable problems.

Perhaps world hunger is too big to tackle, but there are many problems in your local community that need solving.

Once you have a problem in mind, brainstorm opportunities to solve it.

3. Find Internal Inspiration

Consider what you need to fix in your own life. It is quite likely that others are also looking for a solution to this problem.

Start small - the miracle weight-loss pill has plenty of other people working on it - and reality test some solutions that might meet your need.

4. Recognise Urgency

One of the challenges of recognising opportunities is that they are often only in the neighbourhood for a quick visit.

You need to react quickly while the opportunity still exists, the enthusiasm is still strong and while the solution is still in your mind.

Urgent needs, with their limited window of opportunity, can carry greater risk but also can provide greater reward.

5. Get Creative

Staring at a problem through the peep-hole in your door is not going to open the way to innovative ideas.

“Thinking outside the box” is a tired phrase, but if you recognise that there are lots of other problem-solvers pursuing the obvious paths, then an alternative angle is a requirement.

6. Act Now

The most obvious technique is to do something. No one lingers for very long outside a locked door.

Personally, I believe it is better to follow through with some sort of action than to live with regret.

Just remember that as soon as you open a door to a new opportunity, there is the danger of allowing negative influences and self-doubt to pay you a visit, so be prepared!