You'd be amazed at how many opportunities come your way...and pass you by because you do not recognize them for what they are. Many times, all that's required for awareness is a shift in attitude or perspective.

Do you believe that everything happens for a reason? This belief is the source of your ability to maximize the opportunities that do come your way. If you believe this, then is it not incumbent upon you to look for the reason? Aren't you the least little bit curious?

I will go a step further and say that I believe everything happens for a reason, and the reason is probably different for each person affected. For example, we are currently experiencing an ice storm where I live. The roads are nearly impassable and how long the power will remain intact is anybody's guess. You can almost see the ice building up on the tree limbs, it's happening so fast. At some point, the weight of the ice will become too much for the branches and they will come crashing down, likely taking many power lines with them. At every commercial during the football playoff games, the local station breaks in with weather coverage. They're asking everyone to stay home and not drive unless it is absolutely necessary.

For me, this unexpected change in plans (being cooped up in the house) is providing me an opportunity to play with my children. We've played Monopoly, Connect Four and Go Fish, so far. Normally, with decent weather, they'd be out running and playing with their friends and not paying the least bit of attention to dear old Mom. For my girlfriend, this storm brought with it a 3-day delay in starting a new job, but also a 3-day crash course in HTML, something she's been lamenting about not having time to learn until now.

To the extent that you can learn to "roll with the punches" and remember to ask yourself, "Ok, this is not what I'd planned. But if it was, what would I be doing with it?” you will be able to both recognize and maximize many opportunities without having to look very far, at all.