As we get to the end of a year, we’re always inclined to hope that next year will be different, better, or contain new opportunities. We’re, however inclined to forget that many new opportunities are waiting for us to create them rather than create themselves for us.
Opportunities are like doors. Doors are a part of our lives, both at work and at home. Some doors are open and some doors are closed, but not all closed doors are inaccessible. That’s why you need to try a closed door when you encounter it.
Recently one of my daughters asked if I would take her to the local post office to collect a parcel she was expecting from overseas. I asked her to find out what their closing time was and she did – it was 17:30. We then agreed that we would go after work one day as I finished at 16:30, which gave us more than enough time to make the 15 minute trip there.
On the day, we duly left at 16:30 and arrived at the Post Office at 16:45. The Post Office was a small one and there was an open parking place right outside of it which I duly took. As we pulled into the parking space, we both looked at the Post Office which had ceiling to floor windows, and noticed that it looked very quiet. There was no-one inside – on either side of the counter.
“It looks like it’s closed,” she commented.
“But the Post Office web site said they close at 17:30,” I said.
“Well, it doesn’t look like there’s anything happening in there,” she added, somewhat disappointed that we had made a trip for nothing.
“Just go and try the door …” I suggested to her.
She hopped out of the car and tried the door … and it opened. As she walked through, a person emerged from behind the counter – he had obviously been sitting down and was out of sight from where we were in the car.
By the time I had joined my daughter inside (in a matter of seconds), she was already receiving her parcel and we were on our way back to the car.
The reason I’m telling you this story is to show you that the very ordinary things in life have very powerful lessons for us. This isn’t a story about trying a Post Office door. It’s a story about not accepting things for what they appear to be, about challenging boundaries we so often take for granted as being immovable.
Next time you are faced with a “closed door” – a situation that seems like a dead end, a no hoper – I urge you to simply try the door. Just turn the handle or push a little and you may be surprised to find the door open. You see, a closed door is not necessarily a locked door. It’s a matter of perception and reality.
You look at a door that’s closed and you might assume it’s a locked door, while it may be a door waiting to be opened. I’m going to repeat this point because it is critically important that you grasp it: remember, a closed door is not necessarily a locked door.
What “closed doors” are you currently facing? Are they career doors, family doors, relationship doors, financial doors, or personal doors that nobody else knows about? Just “try the door” and see what happens. Some of them may indeed be locked. Maybe they were never meant to be opened. Locked doors provide clarity for you by telling you which doors you shouldn’t go through.
Many of them will however open, and those are the ones meant for you. Don’t try to open a door by force. If they’re not locked, they will open without any great effort. If it’s meant to open for you, it will open without any force needed.
Life consists of a series of doors. If you don’t try any of the doors you encounter, you’re only going to live half a life, so try the doors that you encounter because they will lead to wonderful opportunities that will cause you to grow to be more than what you are. And we only rise to greatness by becoming more than we are right now.
Of course, if you DO encounter a locked door and you don’t have a key for it, it might be worth finding a good locksmith. Just thought I would mess with your mind!
Alan Hosking is the publisher of HR Future magazine, www.hrfuture.net and @HRFuturemag, and assists executives to manage their ageing and achieve self-mastery.
