The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1906-12-13
MAKE FOR SUCCESS
CHANCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
IN LIFE.
Actions That Lead to Wealth and Po
sition Almost Always a Mat.
ter Of Development-Time
Lost in Regrets.

NNAAa vi SAANA L.
gentleman who has lone well in the
world, in discussing the contributing
elements to success, 81 used to have
drummed into me by benevolent and
klndI' disposed people, that if !
wished to succeed l should take ad.
vantage of my opportunities.
And this same advice goes to-day,
and it is good advice, too, though
am of the opinion that too much OF
this sort of treacle is worse in its
effects than none at all. Some pee.
pie go all through life unconsciously
taking advice, and that is about all
they do take. have given this sub.
Ject of opportunities considerable
study from a practical standpoint,
and M results are these:
THE word opportunities should be
shifted to Chances There is a vast
moun of distinction in this matter,
which | will make clear to you.
Wherever o go, and in all callings
and stations in life, you will hear
men say: oh, if ! had only taken
advantage of that opportunity | would
have been rich, and a lot of similar
talk, which, as a matter of fact,
means nothing. If they really had
their lives to live over again they
would do precisely the same as in the
first instance.
"A opportunity is an evolution. 1t
is a matter Of development. 1t is not
an initial instance or event, but it is
of CnhCpnrpnt 1nun1Onnnnpt II n4hor
words, it does not become an oppor.
tunity until the particular crisis
which makes of it an opportunity has
elapsed or passed. Until that period
1t is merely a chance.
"This is not as refined a distinction
as the casual reader would imagine.
A familiar Illustration, in the realms
of speculation, as in the stock market,
will suffice to prove this statement. A
man follows the market closely for,
say three weeks. During this time
the Opportunity he had of making
successful turns make you tired to
listen to. They have come up every
day. If he had bought this p%articu.
lar stock he would have lone so and
W II hO hdu SOlu dlIOIltI SlOCh uS
would have made enough to have re-
tired. But as he didn't do either, he
goes around singing his tale of lost
opportunities
LAS a matter of fact, almost pre-
cisely the same, or very similar OPP
~portunities' exist for him in the en-
suing three weeks. But the distinction
is this: All in the future is but
chance-the passing of the day, or Of
the crucial moment in speculation
and in business transactions devel>
ops or shows what the opportunity
may have been. Until then it lies
hidden, and human foresight does not
discern it. If a man makes a move
he strikes at the chance and not at
the opportunity. Thus, if he sells his
stock short, and the turn of the mar
ket shows that he should have held
on to it, he cries about missing his
opportunity when the opportunity
could not possibly have been devel-
oped until he had taken whatever ac-
ton he was destined to take.
1T is the same where a man moves
from one town to another TO engage
in business, when subsequent develop
ments show that he would have bet.
tered himself had he remained in the
first town. But he had to make the
move, and go through it all, to prove
that there was really ar opportunity
for him in the first place, and he
couldn't have developed this fact, or
opportunity as he calls it, unless he
had actually made the move in ques.
ton.
"And thus many men pass their
lives regretting what they term lost
opportunities when they had simply
been confronted by chances, and sub.
seQuent developments showed that
these chances were ~unfavorable to
them when actually taken. The man
who really 'grasps an opportunity, is
he who discerns the possibility of a
chance evolving or eliminating in
what subsequently reveals itself TO be
an opportunity. If men, especially
those who are called the unfortunate
sort. will digest this illustration and
what it proves, they will saw them
selves a lot of retrospective, unhap-
nv thoughts. They will also be en-
abled to discern in future steps and
business transactions what the pos
sible chances of their acts may be,
and will thus develop what we are all
looking for and so few find-so-called