By Scott Nichols, salon GM and consultant

For the past few months, I have been writing to you, the employee. I hope some of what was said has resonated and you have seen improvement in your work and life. This month is another article written to you. Today, we are going to talk about opportunity, what it looks like and how you find it. If you were to Google, “What does opportunity look like?” there are many articles with even more opinions! Some look at it as a way to enhance your life, some look at it as a way to get promoted and some can’t make up their mind on what it exactly is. In my experience, I have found that opportunity looks like hard work, and that is why most of us pass up opportunities every day!

If you ask any successful person about how they reached their achievements, somewhere in the story, he or she will mention the hard work they had to do. Just the other day, I came across a post of someone I went to high school with. She is now a doctor but shared with us the three jobs she had during undergrad to save up for medical school. See, she wouldn’t be able to work during medical school because she would be studying eight to 18 hours a day. The savings from the three jobs allowed her to have the opportunity to study.

Some of you reading this might think this really isn’t the kind of opportunity that I picture in my head. I know; you’re right. Most people think opportunities look like they do on TV. TV shows us you get the job you wanted by some off-the-wall, fun and witty interview. Within the first few meetings, you speak up and save the company from collapsing with your new idea. Within three months, they love everything you are doing, and now you are the VP of a department. Could this have happened? Yes. Does this really happen? No.

Click here to read the entire article in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine online.