Whew! I have been on the road for the past 9 days – part of my time away was spent visiting my dad who lives cross-country in Atlanta, and the other part attending an industry conference.  Nothing like killing two birds with one stone!

But I wanted to share one of the most important takeaways that came out of going to this conference: there are ALWAYS opportunities to learn… even when you aren’t expecting it.  Even after you paid for the privilege.    Opportunities to learn are in abundance. They are everywhere and can be in the shape of anyone that crosses your path through a simple exchange.

Let’s take an example straight out of this conference that I just attended:

Many people that I coach see professional development opportunities like attending conferences as a COST… rather than an INVESTMENT.  If you see it in that light, I challenge you to reshape your mindset.  If I had looked at registering for this conference as a cost, I would have been thinking, wow, that bagel for breakfast just cost me $4 – what a rip! and other such nitpicking nonsense.

However, if I took the “glass half full” approach and saw the value of the networking conversation going on around that $4 bagel, then suddenly I just got my money’s worth.  What I learned from this conversation was immeasurable – and this is the kind of opportunity that wasn’t even on the conference agenda!

Do you see where I am going with this?

Your ability to learn is directly connected with your receptiveness to opportunity when it crosses your path.  And learning can create new connections, new ideas, and ultimately, new opportunities that can take you places that you never dreamed of… which can add to your own knowledge and understanding.

These learning experiences can shape you, re-shift your thinking, and even change your life.

So be alert. Be open. Be receptive. Be willing to step out of your bubble. Be able to stop worrying about the little stuff because sometimes, that is the very thing that can prevent you from seeing the big stuff…which is right in front of your face.

Personally, I am glad I kept myself open to new ideas from the conference… from all of the connections, conversations, brainstorming sessions, and networking exchanges, I have encountered some new strategies that could potentially reshape how I do business.

See learning opportunities for what they are: powerful, life altering experiences that can open new doors that wouldn’t be possible if you didn’t let them in!