The Opportunity Generation Mechanism
Opportunities are not discovered; they are created.
This is a fundamental principle of action-oriented philosophy that is supported by the empirical evidence from psychology, sociology, and economics, and the principle is that the opportunity is not a pre-existing object that is waiting to be found, but a relational property that is generated by the interaction between the actor and the environment, and the interaction is the action that creates the opportunity.
The opportunity generation mechanism is not a mysterious process; it is a well-understood process that operates through the following channels.
First, the action produces the information that reveals the opportunity, and the information is not available to the actor who is not acting because the information is embedded in the consequences of the action, and the consequences are only accessible through the performance of the action.
The job opportunity is not revealed by the job search; it is revealed by the job application, the interview, and the networking that are the actions that produce the information about the employer's needs, the market's conditions, and the candidate's fit.
The business opportunity is not revealed by the market research; it is revealed by the product launch, the customer interaction, and the sales process that are the actions that produce the information about the customer's preferences, the competitor's weaknesses, and the product's value.
The relationship opportunity is not revealed by the social observation; it is revealed by the conversation, the collaboration, and the shared experience that are the actions that produce the information about the compatibility, the trust, and the mutual benefit.
Second, the action produces the credibility that attracts the opportunity, and the credibility is not available to the actor who is not acting because the credibility is generated by the track record, the reputation, and the social proof that are the products of the action.
The employer is not attracted by the potential; the employer is attracted by the portfolio, the references, and the demonstration of the competence that are the products of the action.
The customer is not attracted by the promise; the customer is attracted by the prototype, the testimonial, and the demonstration of the value that are the products of the action.
The partner is not attracted by the intention; the partner is attracted by the behavior, the reliability, and the demonstration of the commitment that are the products of the action.
Third, the action produces the network that distributes the opportunity, and the network is not available to the actor who is not acting because the network is generated by the contacts, the collaborations, and the reciprocities that are the products of the action.
The opportunity is not distributed by the passive presence; the opportunity is distributed by the active participation, the contribution, and the visibility that are the products of the action.
The network is not a static structure; it is a dynamic process that is generated by the flow of information, the exchange of favors, and the co-creation of value that are the products of the action.
The opportunity generation mechanism is the reason why taking action creates new opportunities, because the action is the behavior that generates the information, the credibility, and the network that are the necessary conditions for the creation of the opportunity.
The Serendipity Engine and the Luck Surface Area
The serendipity engine is the process by which the action creates the unexpected opportunities that are not the direct result of the action but are the indirect, emergent, and serendipitous consequences of the action.
The serendipity engine is not a mystical process; it is a probabilistic process that operates through the expansion of the luck surface area, and the surface area is the total amount of exposure that the actor has to the events, the people, and the information that are the sources of the unexpected opportunities.
The luck surface area is not a fixed quantity; it is a dynamic quantity that is expanded by the action and contracted by the inaction, and the expansion and contraction are the mechanisms by which the action creates the serendipity and the inaction prevents the serendipity.
The action expands the luck surface area by increasing the number of the events that the actor attends, the number of the people that the actor meets, the number of the projects that the actor initiates, and the number of the experiments that the actor conducts, and each of these actions is a surface that increases the probability of the encounter with the unexpected opportunity.
The inaction contracts the luck surface area by decreasing the number of the events, the people, the projects, and the experiments, and the decrease is the reduction of the probability of the encounter with the unexpected opportunity.
The serendipity engine is the mechanism by which the action creates the unexpected opportunities, and the mechanism is the expansion of the luck surface area that increases the probability of the serendipitous encounter.
The serendipity is not guaranteed by the action; it is made possible by the action, and the possibility is the reason why taking action creates new opportunities, because the action is the behavior that increases the probability of the serendipity, and the inaction is the behavior that decreases the probability of the serendipity.
The serendipity engine also operates through the principle of the adjacent possible: the concept from the complexity theory that describes the set of the possibilities that are available to the system at any given moment, and the set is expanded by the action and contracted by the inaction.
The adjacent possible is not a fixed space; it is a dynamic space that is generated by the current state of the system, and the action is the behavior that changes the current state, that expands the adjacent possible, and that creates the new opportunities that were not available before the action.
The inaction is the behavior that preserves the current state, that contracts the adjacent possible, and that eliminates the new opportunities that would have been available after the action.
The serendipity engine is the reason why taking action creates new opportunities, because the action is the behavior that expands the luck surface area, that expands the adjacent possible, and that increases the probability of the serendipitous encounter with the unexpected opportunity.
The Skill Acquisition and the Capability Expansion
Taking action creates new opportunities by the mechanism of skill acquisition and capability expansion, and the mechanism is the process by which the action develops the skills, the knowledge, and the capabilities that are the necessary conditions for the recognition and the exploitation of the new opportunities.
The skill acquisition is not a passive process; it is an active process that is generated by the deliberate practice, the feedback, and the adaptation that are the products of the action, and the products are the skills that are the tools for the recognition and the exploitation of the opportunities.
The recognition of the opportunity requires the skills of perception, pattern recognition, and interpretation that are developed by the experience of the action, and the experience is the teacher that provides the examples, the counterexamples, and the borderline cases that are the training data for the skill of the recognition.
The exploitation of the opportunity requires the skills of execution, negotiation, and management that are developed by the practice of the action, and the practice is the teacher that provides the repetition, the feedback, and the correction that are the training data for the skill of the exploitation.
The capability expansion is the process by which the action develops the broader capabilities that are the platforms for the new opportunities, and the capabilities include the physical capabilities, the cognitive capabilities, the emotional capabilities, and the social capabilities that are the foundations for the action.
The physical capabilities are the health, the energy, and the stamina that are developed by the physical action, and the physical action is the behavior that generates the fitness, the resilience, and the vitality that are the platforms for the physical opportunities.
The cognitive capabilities are the knowledge, the reasoning, and the creativity that are developed by the intellectual action, and the intellectual action is the behavior that generates the expertise, the insight, and the innovation that are the platforms for the intellectual opportunities.
The emotional capabilities are the regulation, the resilience, and the empathy that are developed by the emotional action, and the emotional action is the behavior that generates the stability, the adaptability, and the connection that are the platforms for the emotional opportunities.
The social capabilities are the communication, the collaboration, and the influence that are developed by the social action, and the social action is the behavior that generates the network, the reputation, and the trust that are the platforms for the social opportunities.
The skill acquisition and the capability expansion are the mechanisms by which taking action creates new opportunities, because the action is the behavior that develops the skills and the capabilities that are the necessary conditions for the recognition and the exploitation of the opportunities, and the inaction is the behavior that prevents the development of the skills and the capabilities, and that eliminates the recognition and the exploitation of the opportunities.
The Identity Transformation and the Opportunity Filter
Taking action creates new opportunities by the mechanism of identity transformation, and the mechanism is the process by which the action changes the self-concept, the values, and the goals of the actor, and the change is the transformation of the identity that filters the opportunities in a way that makes the new opportunities visible and the old opportunities invisible.
The identity is not a fixed structure; it is a dynamic structure that is shaped by the action, and the action is the behavior that generates the experiences, the feedback, and the reflections that are the raw materials of the identity construction.
The identity transformation is the process by which the action changes the actor's self-concept from the person who is not capable of the opportunity to the person who is capable of the opportunity, and the change is the transformation of the identity that makes the opportunity visible and attractive.
The opportunity filter is the mechanism by which the identity selects the opportunities that are consistent with the self-concept, and the selection is the filter that makes the opportunities that are consistent with the identity visible and the opportunities that are inconsistent with the identity invisible.
The action changes the identity, and the identity changes the filter, and the filter changes the visibility of the opportunities, and the visibility is the mechanism by which the action creates the new opportunities.
The person who is not acting is the person who is not changing the identity, and the person who is not changing the identity is the person who is not changing the filter, and the person who is not changing the filter is the person who is not seeing the new opportunities, and the person who is not seeing the new opportunities is the person who is not creating the new opportunities.
The action is the behavior that creates the new opportunities by the mechanism of the identity transformation, and the identity transformation is the process by which the action changes the self-concept, the values, and the goals, and the change is the filter that makes the new opportunities visible and the old opportunities invisible.
Taking action creates new opportunities because the action is the behavior that generates the information, the credibility, the network, the serendipity, the skills, the capabilities, and the identity that are the necessary conditions for the creation of the opportunities, and the inaction is the behavior that prevents the generation of these conditions and that eliminates the creation of the opportunities.
The action is the behavior that makes the future possible, and the inaction is the behavior that makes the future impossible, and the possibility is the reason why taking action creates new opportunities.
