No doubt, Life is full of hard knocks and challenges but do you know that you can turn Life’s Hard Knocks around to create business opportunities for yourself? How can you turn your adversities into business opportunities? In this article, I will be sharing with you, 8 Growth Strategies for turning your adversities into Business Opportunities.
One quote I love so much which describes the strategies I am about to share with you is
In the day of prosperity, be joyful; but in the day of adversity, consider: God also hath set the one over the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.
Ecclesiastes 9: 1
In order to turn your adversities into opportunities, you must learn how to see opportunities in everything that comes your way. It works on the principle of What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG).
Strategy 1: Make God Your Source of Life
To turn your adversities into opportunities, you must first develop a personal relationship with God. One biblical personality that best describes this strategy is Joseph – the first Prime Minister of Egypt. Joseph was able to turn his lemons (Life’s hard knocks) into lemonades (opportunities) because of his personal relationship with God, the source or essence of his living. We all came from God, and He only has the blueprint for our lives. God has given everyone the unique potential or abilities needed to excel in life. You gain access to this potential by seeking to know God personally.
Strategy 2: Be Motivated
Motivation and opportunities are connected. A committed daily study of the word of God is the best way to motivate yourself. God’s word is full of Hope. When you study the word of God, it boosts your faith and raises your hope. Hope is what keeps you motivated. It will open doors of opportunities for you in your adversity.
Strategy 3: Develop the Right Attitude
The right attitude precedes the right opportunities. In the story of Joseph as recorded in Genesis chapter 37 to chapter 48, one key factor that led to his eventual success is that he developed the right attitude toward his challenges. Eventually, his right attitude opened the right door of opportunities for him and he became the first prime minister in the land of Egypt.
Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God.
Philippians 4:6
Strategy 4: Make the Most of Today
Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you; for everyone that asketh receives, and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.”
Matthew 7: 7-8
Every day presents its own opportunities. To avail yourself of life’s opportunities which often come disguised in form of challenges or adversities, you must learn how to proactively seek or know on the door of opportunities. The best way you can seize opportunities is to become a source of solutions to the needs or challenges of others. When you seek or look for ways to offset the challenges of others, it often opens to you the doors of opportunities.
Strategy 5: Don’t Be Weighed Down
Opportunities are a result of pluck, not luck.
John C. Maxwell
You must learn how to create growth opportunities for yourself. Never allow your adversity to get you down. Never give up. Be proactive. Take conscious and deliberate actions.
Strategy 6: Look for Opportunities in your Adversities
Opportunities are not seen in ideal situations. Gold in its raw form is not attractive, but when it passes through the fire it becomes purified and its value shines forth. Adversities will bring out the gold in you. It will present you with the best opportunities life can offer you. Learn to embrace your adversities and seek out the opportunities they offer.
Strategy 7: Be Committed to Your Growth
Become resolute and determined to succeed.
Opportunities without commitment will be lost.
John C. Maxwell
Be committed to the process of your growth. Before gold became pure, it went through the process of purification. By becoming committed and consistent to the process of your growth, more opportunities will open up to you.
Strategy 8: Change your Perspectives on Problems
Opportunities are born out of problems. According to John C. Maxwell, every problem has the following characteristics
- Predictor: Every problem is a potential catalyst for change. It has the power to shape the future. It can predict what will happen in the near future. During the COVID lockdown, a lot of business processes changed. Problems are the most powerful change agent in the world.
- Reminders: The peculiarities of your challenges or problems have a lot to say about your purpose in life. Every notable invention and innovation in the world was born out of a need or problem. Problems remind us of what we are meant to be and do.
- Opportunities: The best opportunities in the world can often be found in problems. Those that benefited most during the COVID lockdown are those that took advantage of the opportunities presented by the pandemic.
- Blessings: Problems are blessings in disguise. Embrace them and seek out the blessings there.
- Lessons: Every problem we encounter in life teaches us something. We must be sure to take the lesson. If we do not learn from our mistakes, they will keep repeating themselves until we learn from them. So, make sure you learn the lessons from every problem presented to you.
- Everywhere: Problems can be found anywhere. As long as you are still here on earth, you will have to deal with problems.
- Messages: Problems pass across unique messages to us. There is encoded information in every problem that drives us toward breaking new ground. All the advancements in technology we see today are born out of problems.
- Solvable: All problems are solvable. When the problem of sin arose in Eden after Adam disobeyed God, the penalty was death. By sending his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty of sin on our behalf, God permanently solved the problem for us. All we have to do to benefit from the solution is to have faith in the sacrifice made by Jesus. By believing in Jesus, the problem of sin is solved. So, likewise, every problem we face in life has a solution. What we have to do is to seek it out.
