Hello once again!  It’s Jeff from the Self Help Tips Blog.  Thank you for continuing to read my articles, and I hope that they make a positive impact in your life.

Today I will explain the best way to stay open to the opportunities that are all around you.

Much that is said about opportunity suggests that it is something that comes to you arbitrarily: "Opportunities like this don’t come every day" or "Opportunity only knocks once".

If we see opportunity as something that only comes by chance, are we not leaving ourselves powerless? In this scenario, we have no control in what comes to us.

If you have a dream or a goal, you have to create your own opportunities.  The way to do so is by focusing, believing, being and thinking.

We all get into a negative state of thinking from time to time. This can manifest in many different ways: anxiety, anger, resentment, bitterness, etc, etc. When we operate within these states we are closing the door to opportunity, and we cannot create constructive ideas that will move us forward.

However, when we operate from a positive state of mind, e.g. peaceful, loving, trusting, relaxed etc, we are more open to what is around us. It is from these states of mind that we can create new ideas and find new opportunities.

If you think that it’s too difficult to switch from one state of mind to another, then you are again leaving yourself powerless. Your emotions are controlling you instead of you being in control.

Once you realize that who you are being at any one time is completely within your control, you are then putting yourself at the control center of your own life. Once you are aware of your negative state, it is entirely your choice to switch to a more constructive one.

Here’s how it works: What you focus on has a tendency to become a reality. When you are thinking negatively, your focus is bound to be negative. The first step in changing your state is to be aware of your thoughts. If you are feeling low, then it’s likely that your thoughts are negative.

Once you have noticed this, you are only a short step away from creating new, positive thoughts.

Creating positive thoughts is just a case of changing your view of any given reality. For example, most of us know the feeling of suddenly getting a huge bill we weren’t expecting, or finding we’re overdrawn. Negative thoughts tend to crowd in at these times, making us feel powerless and depressed.

But instead of such thoughts as "I just never seem to have any money" or "Why does this always happen to me?", both of which tend to keep us in the same situation, you can switch to something like "The money I need is always available for me" or "My life is rich with opportunities" - or whatever works for you.

Once you start to switch your thinking like this, you may notice an increase in energy and an increase in your ability to create solutions and find the opportunities that are all around you.  Your life is in your hands!  Make the most of it.