The Sea of Opportunities

Coming from a small country with more than 100 million people, it would seem natural to think that opportunities within the country runs out at a very fast rate. This leads for us to seek opportunities in foreign lands as a showcase of optimism of a better and more stable future, when one does not have to compete among others for the meager resources available. However, in reality, this assumptions seems to fail as one transfers to a larger market like other countries, the competition is greater than one expected it to be. Worse, cultural differences makes it more difficult for one to adapt and succeed in the more vast sea of opportunities.

In this blogpost, I will present three notions on traversing this so-called sea of opportunities. This itself serves as personal objective guide for me to keep myself on the values and beliefs I have in the midst of the challenges I am personally facing right now.

The sea itself is a challenge. Take the initiative to stand out.

Should you think a country of 100 million people is tough, you might as well consider a greater worldwide competition of seven billion individuals. Many factors have to be considered but no one perfectly fits all the factors. The probability of finding suitable opportunities depends on one's initiative to be unique and ahead of the others. This initiative takes time and one must be patient enough especially towards oneself to develop the competencies and characteristics the world seems to be seeking for.

The sea itself is vast. Know what you really want to find suitable opportunities.

There are many options as well. There are two things one must think: supply and demand. Supply refers simply to the number of individuals wanting the same thing at the same period of time. On the other hand, demand pertains to quantity of opportunities available for everyone in a specific field. Thus; for one to achieve something, one must either know when is the right time, choose the fields with less competitors, or opt to compete with people in a field more likely to grow rapidly in the future. It is therefore not about how difficult a competitive environment is, rather it is about how smart a competitor is to handle the situation.

The sea itself is turbulent. Set your direction and be aware of your limitations.

More important than choosing the right field, time or competition is the vision of the person wanting a better future. Even one finds the best opportunity, but he or she lacks the capacity to steer the said opportunity for maximal gains, the breakthrough becomes useless and meaningless. Possessing grit personality to purse long-term goals is a must but it is also essential for an individual to be self-aware of one's strengths and weaknesses and of the consequences and course of actions to attain these goals.

Lastly, possessing the right attitude is a must when you are about to embark in a long journey ahead. It is necessary to learn that you are not just the only one in search of opportunities. Be mature enough to accept there are many who are better, luckier and wiser than you. Blaming others for your failures would attain nothing. Change the way you think and be responsible on your decisions for the best sailors in the world were independent, risk-takers, courageous and smart.

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