Do you have a business that is struggling and you believe you never get any opportunities coming your way? Do you see other business owners have all kinds of good luck but believe luck “passes you by”? Do you ever feel there’s something you’re just “not getting” about how to create new business flowing your way? Do you wonder what others are doing that you’re not doing? Do you sometimes just feel like giving up in frustration? Does it seem that one more business disappointment will simply be more than you can live with?

This is a common part of being in business. Though it is common, it is not acceptable. Consider the possibility that not only are you leaving money on the table, you aren’t even seeing the “money on the table”. What if opportunities come your way as much as anyone else experiences, but you fail to see (or hear) them? Could it be possible that you learn of the same possibilities, but neither recognize nor react to them? In truth, this is what is happening. Here are some ideas to help you better “see the money on the table”.

1. An open and positive mental state is the greatest invitation to possibility. Strive to retain that openness of attitude. This will require you to choose the positive over the negative at all times. This extends to people, places, and things. If you’re making negative choices, you’re cutting off the expansive state of mind that attracts opportunity.

2.) Take your attention off yourself. Put your attention on others. Become genuinely interested in your fellow human beings. If you’re interested in them, they believe you’re a brilliant conversationalist, and most will eventually develop some reciprocal interest in you and your offerings.

3.) Give up fantasies of overnight success. Take the long view. Develop patience. Don’t expect to hit a home run every time at bat. That is unrealistic and leads to disappointment. Disappointment wrecks that positive mental attitude.

4.) Develop relationships. People want to work with those they know and trust. Attempting to do business with strangers is much harder and not as rewarding, both personally and financially.

5.) A key strength to develop is the ability to “hear” opportunity in your conversations. Be cautious and avoid “pouncing” on these opportunities. Gently inquire and uncover the details and potential.

6.) Pay attention to your intuition or inner guidance. Most people experience this as an inner “voice” or inner knowing, gently guiding them to do or avoid some action. This inner voice can be trusted to help you with the timing of your approaches to opportunity.

7.) Make discreet inquiries. If you get the intuition that there’s potential opportunity, open a discussion about it. Test for mututal interest. Keep your eyes and ears open.

8.) Make a point of noticing when there is “money on the table”–the potential for money producing business–and decide you will pursue these opportunities.

9.) Once you have decided to notice and pursue, it will quickly become obvious that opportunities are all about us at all times. You will also notice how oblivious most people are about opportunities.

10.) The biggest spoiler of opportunity is distraction. Most people allow distractions to get in the way of both noticing and following up on opportunity. There are countless, innumberable potential distractions. Almost all of them are simply time wasters. Keep your mind and the focus of your activities targeted on opportunities and the actions to realize them. You will notice all about you frittering their lives away on fruitless distractions. Simply refusing to do so will put you way ahead of your business competitors.

Decide that in life and in your business you will see “the money on the table” and follow through to realize your opportunities. Opportunity is always there. We just need to optimize our “opportunity detection” skills.

Suzi Elton is a success coach working with highly creative types to create income that matches their talent. She has coached hundreds of clients to approach their goals strategically through tiny steps to bring about quantum leaps. Get free Life Purpose exercises, at http://mylifepurposecoaching.com