RULE 76

Look for the hidden asset/opportunity

You’ve got to be a vigilant, never-sleeping, never-taking-time-off machine. Always alert, always on the lookout for that opportunity. An old Senegalese proverb says that the opportunities that God sends do not wake up those who are asleep. Wake up! Sleep is for the lazy, the indolent, the poor. Wide awake, restless, prowling is for the hungry, the lean, the opportunity taker, the rich. All around us all of the time there are opportunities to make a fortune. All we have to do is be open to the possibilities, to the magic of such events.

There are only five things you need to take on board if you are going to be a treasure seeker:

1. Timing is crucial. React too slowly and the opportunity is gone. Too fast and you might startle it. Markets shift, fashions change and products fade.
2. You have to be serious. There is no point in being on the ball every other day or only in the mornings. Hidden opportunities only reveal themselves when they feel they want to. I always imagine them as small shy beasts coming down to the waterhole for a drink. If you want to catch one you have to creep up really quietly, really skilfully.
3. You have to be quirky. If there are only a few hidden opportunities then you need to stand out. Quirky, unique, special, creative, unusual – name it however you will, but you have to stand out from the herd (to complete the animal analogy).
4. You’ve got to know what you’re doing. Wealth, like any other skill, needs to be learnt. To spot opportunities and to be able to take advantage of them you need to give yourself the best chance. You can’t pick up a financial paper and say you are going to understand it from Day 1. It takes time, dedication and commitment. Know your stuff and you’ll see the opportunities much more clearly. There’s a management technique called ‘SWOT analysis’ – an acronym for ‘strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats’ – keep looking at all four.
5. Be attractive. If you smell horrid that shy beast is going to bolt. You have to dress smartly, smell fresh, look good, be well turned out and radiate attractiveness.

All around us all of the time there are opportunities to make a fortune. All we have to do is be open to the possibilities, to the magic of such events.

Have you ever noticed that when you are thinking of changing cars to another make or model you immediately start noticing hundreds of that make on the roads? Were they there before? Of course. It’s just that you never noticed them. But once your attention is focused like a narrow beam of intense light, it throws them into sharp focus.

Opportunities are a bit like that. Once we start noticing them they are all around us. We just need that kick-start, that beginning of the search. Just like changing cars, we change our focus.

It is essential that we wake up our opportunity detector. Once we do, they will appear as if by magic all around us.