You've heard people say that opportunity only knocks once. I say it knocks a thousand times, or at least it can. The problem is, we often don't listen, we don't see, or we don't want to work. The biggest problem, though, is that opportunity really isn't opportunity, if you're not ready for it.

A couple I know had a business handed to them for free. The owner didn't want to deal with it anymore, even though it made money. He had other things going on in his life. He couldn't just call it quits, however, because the lease on the building had nine months to go. This is where my friends enter the story. Why did they have a business given to them?

They listened, and let the man tell his story.

They looked at the business, and saw the opportunity.

They worked, doing what it took to benefit from their "good luck."

The owner agreed to give them the business if they would simply take over the lease on the building.

Get Ready For Opportunity

The biggest reason "opportunity knocked" however, includes the others, and goes beyond them: They were ready.

They had a little bit of money to handle the transition, they had previous experience with a small business, and they were willing to learn what they needed to learn.

A friend once said that our mutual acquaintance John was "so lucky" to get a $6,000 car for $2,000 at an auction. I mentioned that John went to the auction regularly, that he had made himself familiar with car values, and that he always kept some money available for such opportunities. It didn't seem to register with my friend.

He could have been "so lucky," too, but he had to be ready. He could have saved $2,000, or obtained a credit card with a high enough limit, or arranged with someone to borrow the money and split the profits when deals like this came up. Not having done any of these things, there was no opportunity here for him.

When you want opportunity to come knocking, aren't there always ways you can prepare? If you want to be lucky in love, you comb your hair, right? If you want opportunities in the stock market, start studying, setting aside money to invest, and exploring the possibilities. Get ready for opportunity, and it will come more often.

Steve Gillman writes on many self help topics including boosting brainpower, losing weight, meditation, habits of mind, creative problem solving, learning grattitude, generating luck and anything related to self improvement. You'll find more at http://www.selfimprovementnow.com