Opportunity

Opportunity is a blessing and a risk. Smart individuals exploit them for great gain and honor. Foolish individuals squander them to poverty and shame. Smart individuals see a door of opportunity and rush through it with passionate zeal - they are gripped by the potential of extraordinary gain. Foolish individuals miss the door, or presume it will always be there, and head for home with lazy steps - they are dulled by the desire to play or sleep.

Opportunity is not guaranteed. Life is a changing scene of prosperity and difficulty. The agricultural cycle have a great opportunity during summer harvest. Smart individuals gathered all they can with extra effort and time. Foolish individuals dread the extra demands and could not see the reward, so they sought to avoid the hot fields. "There is a time to get, and a time to lose"; the smart individuals know when to get, but the foolish always lose! If you snooze, you lose!

When times are good, gather all you can for leaner times to come. Diligently accumulate much when it is plentiful, and you will have extra to fall back on when it is hard. You must provide for rainy days.

Diligently use opportunities to accumulate assets, because the foolish neglect of opportunities will bring poverty. Even ants know to work hard and save in the summer.

America is the land of opportunity, and it has been for a very long time. Smart individuals have taken advantage of this incredible land of opportunity, but foolish individuals have squandered it foolishly. Many have come to these shores with nothing, but through hard work and frugal savings they built comfortable estates. Others, born on these shores, think that prosperity is easy and squander the many opportunities here to their own poverty and shame.

Every individual, especially in this nation, has many opportunities in education, business, and investments for great gains. They must see the opportunity, be prepared for it, and capitalize on it. "Time and chance happens to them to all. Most opportunities occur in the earlier stages of life; young individuals have greater drive and flexibility than others; and the consequences of their laziness are greater; so this knowledge is primarily for young individuals, nevertheless, with enough drive, senior citizens can use it as well.

Young men and women, are you opening educational doors to gather knowledge, learn valuable skills, or acquire a trade? Are you using your present income with minimal expenses to accumulate the seed capital for lucrative future investments? Are you building relationships with your father's and other contacts for future references? Young man, are you working feverishly in a company known for promoting from within? Do you know that playing or sleeping now will cost you much more than playing or sleeping later?

Do not waste good opportunities. If you have a talent - of any kind, do not bury it! Remember, the greatest risk is not taking any.