Obligation or Opportunity?

Are you living under obligation or in opportunity? You could be doing the exact same task, but how you approach and experience it can change dramatically with that difference in perspective. When you live under obligation, it’s easier to do the bare minimum, follow the pack and risk little. This is also a fantastic recipe for mediocre results and minimal, if any, reward. But if you are looking at a scenario through the lens of opportunity, you will likely have more energy, better ideas and more joy doing the exact same work as Mr. Mediocre.

People talk about how they “have” to go to work. Now, that may be true in the sense that work is required to earn enough money to eat and pay bills, but too many act as if “work” is a necessary evil that must be endured instead of an opportunity to embrace. There are literally millions of people (maybe billions) who would love to have your job, and every new day that you go to work, you have the chance to introduce the world to a slightly better version of yourself than has ever existed before – one who is better able to influence and impact the world around you in more positive way.

You may be in a frustrating marriage or relationship and are living in obligation to that other person. But consider someone who has just lost their spouse, reeling from a tragic divorce and would be willing to give anything for just one more chance to make it work. You have the opportunity to sacrifice a little bit more, to give a little extra and to love until, and especially when, it hurts.

I hear folks talk about raising kids like it’s an 18 year prison sentence instead of an opportunity to mold and shape and inspire a human life. Now, I realize these people do genuinely love their kids, but still, they are viewing the experience as an obligation, not an opportunity. I could go on and on with examples, but I think you get the point. Heck, I have to remind myself of this when my wife and kids want to go pay money to live in the woods like we are homeless – some people call it camping – and I have to view it through the lens of opportunity in making memories and strengthening bonds with my family. We all have areas of our lives where we have the choice to view difficult circumstances and engagements as opportunity or obligation. How you choose to view those situations may be one of the most significant factors in the overall experience and outcome of those moments. Learn to live in opportunity.

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