Opportunity Knocks: Dreams Don't Work Unless You Do Given the promise of the new year, don't make the mistake of just waiting and watching any more- opportunities are there for the taking, but remember that it falls upon you to seize those you can capitalize on.

Happy new year!

Okay, let me start by admitting that it feels extremely weird for me to utter that phrase out loud as we kick off 2021. Sure, it's one thing to be hopeful, but it's another thing altogether to be delusional- and the latter is what I'm wary of looking like as we toast the start of a new year that is still looking an awful lot like the last one.

But I must admit that I am also not ready to disown 2021 as a year that's doomed to only be a second act to whatever played out in 2020. After all, while the coronavirus pandemic that wrecked our lives last year has indeed followed us into the new year, the vaccines to battle the disease have been launched. And while it will take a while for the world as a whole to benefit from the impact, it is still cause for optimism.

I am certain that this feeling of hopefulness is going to have a positive impact on those of us operating in the world of business and entrepreneurship- sure, it may be an entirely new playing field out there, but one can be rest assured that the rules of the game remain the same. And so, at this point, take a moment to recap everything you've learnt through the course of 2020, which should cover everything from being creative and thinking on your feet, to the value of resilience and simply moving on ahead, regardless of what the world throws in your way. Because now is the time to put those lessons into action.

Given the promise of the new year, don't make the mistake of just waiting and watching any more- opportunities are there for the taking, but remember that it falls upon you to seize those you can capitalize on. I think this is true especially for those of us located here in the Middle East; the savvy-eyed among us should have noted the multitude of changes happening in the ecosystem at present, as well as the possibilities these changes open up.

Now, for those of you who might say that the world is still not hospitable enough for one to catch a break, then, well, I'd simply like to point you in the direction of this quote attributed to Thomas Edison: "We often miss opportunity, because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work." Here's to putting in the work in 2021- wishing you all a great year ahead.

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