One quote that I really try to live every day in my business is by Benjamin Franklin. “To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.” So, each day I write the word jump to keep it top of mind for me so that I can’t let little things, like my own thoughts, get in the way and keep me from jumping at opportunities. And yesterday I got to put that to the test.

I was attending the monthly luncheon for the Atlanta Chapter of eWomen Network. This amazing group of women fills my cup each and every time and inspires me to do more. This month our speaker, Kimberly Alexander, who is a rock star in coaching and leading entrepreneurs to Grow Big, talked to us about what tasks in our life are non-negotiable. Her message really resonated with me and made me step back and start looking at my life and business.

Well Kimberly needed a ride to the airport and in the south, we offer good southern hospitality and I didn’t feel right about her taking Uber or Lyft. So, I offered to drive her. Now if you know anything about Atlanta the airport isn’t close to much. It wasn’t close to where we were meeting and it isn’t close to my house. But that word jump just kept floating in my head. So, I texted my husband and confirmed he could pick up Mia at school and told him I would be home later. And I jumped.

I jumped at the chance to get time to spend with this amazing woman and get to know her better. To see how she built her business. To understand what makes her tick. To learn more about what she offers to her clients. And wow I got so much more out of that ride than I ever thought.

Anytime you think you shouldn’t jump at an opportunity because it might have consequences know that you are right. Jumping can absolutely have consequences for you and those consequences could be amazing.

So, when you are faced with an opportunity and you aren’t sure if you should jump ask yourself these questions.

  • What can I gain from this?
  • What can I offer to this person that I might be helping?
  • How can I benefit from the consequences of taking this opportunity?
  • What’s next? What can I learn from this person that I have been given the opportunity to interact with?
  • What’s stopping me?

You will quickly realize the consequences for jumping at that opportunity far outweigh any inconvenience. For me that ride to the airport has clarified where I need to go next in my business. That ride has created a clear vision of what I need to do to get there.

And even better than those things I got you talk to someone and got to learn about their journey. I got to hear some of her experiences and where she is headed. And yes, I gave up a few hours of my day to help her but wow the consequences are amazing. They will impact my business and my family for years to come. And in the end, I planted the seeds for a new friendship and that is priceless. And in my book, those are some really awesome consequences.

By: Amy Matthews, CEO, AMI LC