I believe that part of finding your ideal career and achieving success is the ability to be flexible, and take advantage of opportunities that come along when you least expect it.

The ability to jump at a great opportunity takes both financial and mental flexibility. What if a recruiter contacted you out of the blue with a job that was exciting and stimulating, especially compared to your current daily grind? But what if that job required a 5k pay cut (at first) and was on the other side of the country?

Would you be too indebted from a mortgage, or unable to take the paycut? Maybe you couldn’t afford for your spouse to be out of work while finding a job in the new location.

On the other hand, even if you are financially stable, the lack of mental flexibility could hold you back. I know that I take a long time to adjust to a new employer and job - if I was offered a job tomorrow, I probably wouldn’t consider it as much as I might in 3 years. Right now, I feel like I haven’t given my current employer enough of a chance, or really gotten much experience from my few months here. Moving jobs now would seem like a waste - but that mentality could keep me from being open to some really great opportunities.

If these simple facts can hold me back, what does having other commitments like a house and family do?

When I was a little kid, my parents made the decision to leave South Africa for a country with more opportunities. They could have stayed there, where they had friends and family, and a network of contacts that could provide them job opportunities. Instead, they took the chance of moving our family to the U.S., where they knew that myself and my sisters would have more opportunities than we would in South Africa.

They had the mental flexibility to leave their comfort zone, and take a chance on a better life.

Do you feel like you have the mental and financial flexibility to take advantage of opportunities that cross your path?