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Are you Ready?

At the start of the year, I prayed for more opportunities but I failed to realize how they would come.

Last night I came home from work, super exhausted and hungry. My mentor called me up and asked me if I wanted to deliver a talk at a conference in CANADA, and if I said yes, I’d have to leave on the earliest flight in the morning.

Everything in me wanted to scream No!! I need time to prepare, a talk? I haven’t put my PowerPoint together, and wait CANADA?????

But she said “Ozi, you’ve got everything it takes.”

Who me? Ummmm ok

I told her to give me a second, and I’ll call her back. I turned to Adé (my husband) and caught him up on the offer.

GO! he said, That’s what you prayed for.

Ummm when did I pray for ….. ohhhh….Yea.

So I called her back and said YES! The very next day, I was on my way to Victoria, British Columbia!

When I speak to younger audiences I tell them to stay ready. Nothing happens by accident.

Everytime you pass up an opportunity to learn a new skill, speak at a gathering, fill out a scholarship application, that’s one less opportunity.

You may not see the opportunity right now, but it’s coming, and when it comes, I hope you have supporters in your life who see the potential even when you don’t, I hope you take it!

Go ahead and plant the seeds and wait for the rain, while you are waiting, Take your umbrella with you as you head on out everyday ( I mean stay optimistic). I got to meet really amazing people at the conference, learn new and cutting edge science, and see e beautiful island; Victoria British Columbia.

Opportunities will show up, but they may sometimes be disguised as random calls at the end of a long day, unpaid internships,a friend sending you a scholarship application, even an Instagram page with 3 followers asking to feature you on their page (wait to what audience?), yup! Remember every page starts with a single follower, stay humble.

You probably are learning calculus right now, and wondering when you would ever need that knowledge. Maybe the lesson is character building for managing something big in the future. Maybe the purpose of it all is for you to meet a study partner, who will be instrumental to your success.