I was driving to an early morning meeting when I stopped at at traffic light and noticed the sky was filled with hot air balloons. Now I am a bit of a kid at heart, so I enjoyed looking at all the different balloons. Since I was in the car by myself, I looked around at the drivers on either side of me, hoping to share the moment with them.

balloon rides

But on this particular morning, no one else seemed to notice the balloons. One guy was on his phone, another was actually glancing at a report as he waited for the light to change. A third seemed to be deliberately trying not to notice either me or the balloons. So as I drove away, I was both happy that I had enjoyed this wonderful surprise that life had thrown in my path and sad that the other drivers were missing it.

As I drove away, I realized that happens all the time. Life puts an opportunity in our path, and we miss it because we are too busy with something else, or we see it and choose not to take advantage of the opportunity. We get so focused on the little things we miss the chance for something great. But when we do, we open ourselves up to something fun, wonderful or, as business owners, something profitable

So here’s my challenge to you. Take time to open your eyes to the opportunities that come along. Take that call, go to that networking event, download that new software or test a new product offering on a prospective client. Maybe it will be a flop, maybe it will make you smile, maybe it will open up new doors or maybe it will simply provide an important learning moment. Regardless of the outcome, it will be worth the ride.

 

Photo courtesy of Tony Sandlin, Midwest Balloon Rides