| Dear John, NOWHERE How did you read that word? You can take these letters and make them say "no where," or rearrange them and they will say "now here." And you’ll hear that word spoken both ways when the topic is opportunity in America today. There are some who say it is "no where," but many others are saying opportunity is "now here." Frankly, I agree with the latter, because statistics show us that 80% of the millionaires in America today are first-generation millionaires. The next question, then, is whether the opportunities really exist in large numbers. I believe they do. Here’s a simple example: In 1937, J. Willard Marriott of Marriott Hotel/Motel fame, noticed that customers at one of his restaurants near the Washington airport bought meals to carry on flights. That gave him the germ of an idea, so he paid a visit to Eastern Air Transport and arranged to deliver pre-packaged meals to departing airplanes. The initial idea was so successful that Marriott convinced American Airlines to join in and soon all the airlines were doing the same thing. He formed Marriott Corporation, which eventually supplied airplanes at more than a hundred airports. That, my friends, is a perfect example of recognizing an opportunity, and then capitalizing on it. In truth, every problem can present a series of unique opportunities. The vacuum cleaner was invented because someone noticed that sweeping dust is nothing more than rearranging, and that the simplest way to pick it up would be with a stream of air which hovered over the dirt and lifted it upward. A giant industry was born as a result! The truth is opportunities are seldom identified by a label that says, "This problem represents a great idea and here's what you should do about it." People who are on the success path will look at a problem and ask the question, "I wonder if there's a better solution to this particular problem?" How about you? Are you staying on the lookout for solutions to the problems that arise in your day-to-day life? You were Born to Win, so go ahead and Live to Win! Tom PS - Quote of the Day: “When you focus on problems, you get more problems. When you focus on possibilities, you have more opportunities.” — Zig ZIglar | 