If you need to create a disciplined， formal process for assessing opportunities， sit down at your computer or with a pen and paper and create an Assessment Worksheet. For every opportunity that comes your way， write down the pros and cons and evaluate how each measures up to the values， principles， and goals you‘ve chosen for your life. Then try to envision what will happen if you walk through the door， and what will happen if you close it instead.
If you still have trouble making a decision， take your worksheet to a trusted mentor， or a friend who believes in you and wants you to succeed. Talk through the pros and cons with them， and listen to their evaluation. Be open-minded， but also know that the responsibility is all yours. It’s your life. You will reap the rewards or pay the price for your own decisions， so choose wisely.
ARE YOU READY？
Timing is another consideration when making these assessments. Sometimes， especially when you are young， tempting offers present themselves， but the timing may be off. You don‘t want to accept a job that you aren’t qualified for or prepared to master， just as you shouldn‘t rush off on a luxury vacation you can’t afford. The cost is too high. It will take you too long to recover.
One of the biggest mistakes I made early in my public speaking career was accepting an invitation to address a large audience before I‘d really prepared for such a thing. It wasn’t that I had nothing to say， I just hadn‘t organized my material or honed my presentation. As a result， I lacked the self-confidence to pull it off.
I stuttered and stammered through that speech. People were kind to me， but I had blown it. But I learned from the experience， recovered， and realized that I should seize only those moments that I am fully prepared to handle. That’s not to say that you shouldn‘t jump on an offer or an option that forces you to stretch and grow. Sometimes we’re more prepared than we realize， so God gives us a nudge that allows us to rise to the occasion and take a giant step toward our dreams. American Idol， the hit television show， is built on that concept. In each episode， many of the young contestants crack under the pressure， or realize that they simply aren‘t ready for stardom. But now and then a raw talent emerges and blossoms under the intense pressure. A select few， notably Carrie Under-wood， Jennifer Hudson， Chris Daugherty， and Kelly Clarkson， have launched wonderful careers because they stretched， grew， and kept rising.
You need to weigh your options and carefully consider which stepping-stones will lead you to your goals， and which might cause you to slip and fall. Like me and the first movie role I was offered， you will come across opportunities that would serve a short-term goal but don’t match up to your long-term objectives. Your decisions today will follow you into tomorrow. Often young people jump into relationships without considering whether the person is good for them over the long term. We‘re often reminded how security conscious we need to be when it comes to the Internet， whether it is our financial selves， our public reputation， or our private life that we need to protect. We’re reminded that you‘ve got to assume that everything you do—every photograph and video you appear in， every e-mail you send， every blog you write， every comment on your Web page—will show up in a search engine somewhere at some point and will exist on earth probably longer than you do. Just as you have to think carefully about how the things you post online without thinking can come back to haunt you， remember that the same is true in our lives when we evaluate opportunities that come our way. They have long-term consequences—which can help you or hurt you. The short-term benefits may look great， but what will the long-term repercussions be？
Step back and look at the big picture. Remember， you are often tested， but life itself is not a test. It’s the real deal. The decisions you make every day impact the quality of your entire life. Assess carefully， then check your gut and your heart. If your gut tells you something‘s a bad idea， go with your gut. But if your heart tells you to leap at an opportunity—and it is aligned with your values and long-term goals—make the leap！ There are still times when an offer arises that gives me goose bumps and I’m so excited that I want to just dive right in. But then I need to take a breath and pray for the wisdom to make the right decision.
THE RIGHT PLACE
If you have prepared yourself to the best of your ability but no doors have opened for you， then maybe you need to reposition yourself and your talents. If your dream is to be a world champion surfer， chances are Alaska won‘t offer many big waves， right？ Sometimes you need to make a move to catch a break. I realized several years ago that if I wanted to develop a worldwide audience for my speaking career， I needed to move out of Australia and to the United States. I love Australia. Most of my family is still there. But Down Under was too remote a launching pad and didn’t offer the options and the exposure that I‘ve found in the United States.
Even after coming to the United States， I had to work to create my own breaks. One of the best moves I made was to network with others who shared my passion for speaking and inspiring others. Studies have shown that most people learn about job openings through their professional networks of friends and co-workers. As with most other types of opportunities， you hear about them on the grapevine long before other sources have the news. Whether you are looking for love， a job， an investment， a place to volunteer， or a venue to share your talents， you can make your own breaks by joining professional groups， local clubs， the Chamber of Commerce， or church， charitable， and service organizations. The Internet is tailor-made for making helpful connections， with social networking sites such as Twitter， Facebook， LinkedIn， and Plaxo. The wider your circle， the greater your chances for finding an open door to your dream.
