Create Your Own Opportunities - Curtis Tucker

Opportunity = a fighting chance. That’s about as simple as it gets. You don’t stand as good of a chance at attaining a goal or having success if you don’t create an opportunity. If you sit and wait for opportunities you could be waiting for a very long time.

You need to take chances and put yourself in the position to seize opportunities. Put yourself in the right place at the right time. Opportunities can include landing a better job, snagging a big client, being asked to lead a project, building a large following, getting to do Bucket List activities and more.

Over the years I’ve created my own opportunities. Several of them by accident and others on purpose. Here is a sampling of opportunities I was given because I put myself out there. Each of these may eventually be a blog post and podcast episode in itself.

Opportunities I Created On My Own

I Quit My Job & Started My Own Company

I quit a full time advertising directors position to start my own business because I created my own opportunity! I put my talents online and when people found my designs they hired me to do theirs. Without a website and online presence I never would have had that opportunity. That turned into a 10 year career and then I used another opportunity to start a second career. If I hadn’t started a little side blog years before I would have never had the opportunity to turn that into a full time business. I have now worked from home for 20 years because of opportunities found on the Internet.

I Was The Featured Story On CNN.com

In the mid 2000s I started several blogs to get my name out there. One of those blogs was this one! I was blogging about growing up in the 70s and posted several photographs of myself when I was a kid. These were great old photos from the 1970s and I used the correct meta tags on the photos so they could be found in Google images. When Farrah Fawcett died I had the only photo of a teenager holding her poster in the 70s. That kid was me! I was interviewed by CNN and several other magazines and websites. That photo has also been used in multiple documentaries. The opportunity came because I simply uploaded a unique photo.

My First Real Interview Was Garth Brooks

As a citizen journalist I had never really interviewed anyone as a real interview. After starting my community website I decided to keep up with the events happening in OKC and Tulsa. I reached out to the PR departments of the concert facilities and asked to be included on their press release list. Not long after that I received an email saying Garth Brooks was doing a press conference in Tulsa to kick off his new tour. I was invited and then told I might be able to interview Garth! What an opportunity. I traveled to Tulsa, covered the press conference and then stood in line to conduct the interview. If I hadn’t asked to be on the media list I never would have had that opportunity.

I Interviewed Gene Simmons

I heard Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS were going to be in Oklahoma to give a press conference about an upcoming casino and hotel. I tracked down the person in charge of the media and asked for a press pass to the event. They said yes and I was put on the list! I traveled to Bramen, Oklahoma and covered the press conference. I also got a cool t-shirt, press pass and other swag. Afterwards the two were available for interviews. I waited too long and the media person said they were done and would be leaving. As a desperation move I quickly asked if I could do get in a few questions. Both the media person and Gene said yes! I got the interview and took full advantage of the opportunity.

I Covered A Presidential Inauguration

I received an email saying that people could enter a pool for a chance at free tickets to the Presidential inauguration. I posted the info for my followers and at the last minute decided to enter myself. I got picked! The opportunity included two tickets plus lots of memorabilia to the inauguration. Unfortunately I didn’t have the cash to go. So I asked my followers if they’d like me to cover the event. If so, they could donate to a Go Fund Me account. I received just enough money for plane tickets. I then contacted a family I knew that were living in Virginia and asked if I could stay with them. They said yes! I ended up with a tour of the Pentagon, free rides to the subway and a place to stay. There were many opportunities created to make this trip happen.

I Interviewed Michelle Malkin… Twice

Michelle Malkin came to Enid to cover a criminal case which involved a guy from my hometown. I went to the live presentation just to cover it for my blog. During her presentation I moved to the side of the room and ended up doing a Facebook live. I also had my cameras around my neck and took photos during the talk. At the end of the event Michelle disappeared and I did not attempt to interview her. Out of nowhere a lady walked up to me and asked if I was going to make it to the press conference. I said I didn’t know anything about it and she invited me to be there because I looked like a reporter. I went up and was one of only about four journalists there. I asked Michelle several questions and then talked to her after the questioning. A couple of years later I drove to OKC to interview her again.

I Acted With Jake Gyllenhaal & Bo Derek

At one point my friends and I were thinking of filming a movie. Oklahoma has become a center for film making due to incentives. I decided to work as an extra so I could see how films were made and what equipment was used. I sent my info in for a spot in the Paul Dano movie called Wildlife. I got a part as a firefighter. I had no idea what I would be doing so I just showed up. During the filming Jake Gyllenhall appeared out of a tent and I got to spend the day filming several scenes with him for the film. My appearances even made the cut! I was looking for more opportunities and ended up being in three more movies including one with Bo Derek. These appearance were just for fun nut I did get insights into how movies are made.

I Drove A New Vehicle For Two Years For Free

Talk about an opportunity. My car at the time was on its last leg and I hadn’t had a car payment for at least a decade. When it was time for me to get a new vehicle I got an idea that I thought I would try. I went to a local dealership and asked them if they would be interested in trading out a leased vehicle for advertising. I would get to drive the SUV with no monthly payment and they would get a set amount of advertising. I also turned the vehicle into the BuzzMobile with a decal wrap and included an ad for the dealership as the vehicle sponsor. The original agreement was for one year and the dealership extended that to two years when it was about to expire. At the end of two years I was able to purchase the vehicle at a great deal and still drive it around as the BuzzMobile.

I Flew With The US Thunderbirds

Because of my media status with Enid Buzz I was asked to take the media flight with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. The opportunity arose because I have a large following and could get the message about the Air Force out to a wide audience. When they came to Enid, Oklahoma for an air show they only allowed one local media flight. This was a Bucket List occasion that never would have happened if I hadn’t been doing Enid Buzz. The video from my flight had thousands of views which could one day lead to more opportunities. Never pass up a chance to do a once in a lifetime event.

10 Ways To Create Your Own Opportunities

1. Get started doing something! There’s talkers and there’s doers. Stop talking and get busy. You pretty much will have zero opportunities if you’re not putting yourself out there. Get online and build a presence. Start networking or speaking. You got to make some noise to be heard.

2. Create original content and put it out into the world! Upload your stuff to your own website. You will then have articles and photos that will show up in searches on the Internet. If you have not started uploading content to the world wide web there is nothing for anyone to find. Post as much as you can especially about niche topics. The more original info you have online the more opportunities people will have to find you.

3. Ask! You’ll never know the answer if you don’t ask. Many opportunities will come by just asking the right question or asking the right person. Don’t give up on the first try. If you feel there’s an opportunity and you’re not getting the answer that you want ask what you can do to improve your chances. The worst thing that can happen by asking is that someone will say no.

4. Be in the right place at the right time. Many times the right person or best choice does not end up an opportunity. Many times convenience intervenes and you’re in the right place at the right time. That can’t happen if you’re sitting at home not putting forth any effort. Be in as many places as you can to give yourself a better chance of snagging an opportunity.

5. Use all platforms. It’s not that hard to repurpose your content into multiple formats and platforms. You’ll have a better chance at a random opportunity if you can be found on more platforms. Upload your content as written word, photographic images, video and audio. Not everyone will be searching for you on just one platform. Multiply your chance of being found by using every means possible.

6. Think positive! It’s never going to hurt you to have a positive outlook. People are attracted to confidence and they’ll gravitate to you if you make them feel good. People with a positive attitude will have more opportunities than someone that is always negative. Complainers and whiners are usually avoided which limits opportunity. Use the positive energy of the universe to help generate your own opportunities.

7. Create a popular personal brand. People with great personal brands will always have more opportunities than people that are ordinary and do not stand out. A personal brand will make you a leader or expert in a niche. Being the go to person in any niche gives you more opportunities to be asked to lead, speak or participate. The more popular you are the more opportunities you’ll have. It’s like a snowball.

8. Network and meet as many people as possible. Knowing more people creates more opportunities. Join organizations, groups and boards. When people know that you’re willing to be involved they’re more apt to think of you for exclusive opportunities. Knowing somebody that knows somebody can open doors that would be closed if you were sitting at home alone. Be sure to use your connections every chance you can and let them know what opportunities your available for.

9. Get crazy! Do things nobody else is doing. Guess who gets picked to be on The Price Is Right? It’s the energetic, outgoing people. Why? Those are the folks that are enjoyable to watch or be around. If you stay ordinary you’ll never stand out from those around you. Don’t get so crazy you scare people off but differentiate yourself from the crowd. Being unique will also create more opportunities than being the status quo.

10. Don’t give up. Being patient is important. Opportunities won’t pop up overnight so be patient. You have to stay committed and continue to put yourself out there. Eventually people will take notice and you’ll begin to be recognized. The longer you keep at it the better chance you’ll have at big opportunities. Many times new opportunities will lead to even more opportunities so you have to keep at it. If it were quick and easy everyone would be able to do it.

Get busy!

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