I was watching Match of the Day 2 and during the analysis of one of the games, the presenters started to talk about something called POMO – Position Of Most Opportunity, relating it to the positions the football players were getting into on the pitch.  When I heard POMO, I thought what a fantastic term…how can I relate that to my work and personal life?

Many think that some people are just “lucky” or that coincidences influence outcomes. Thinking back to POMO, if we are in the Position Of Most Opportunity we are likely to see what it is we want to see; we are likely to be in the right place at the right time. So how do we get into POMO for the goals we want to achieve in life?  How do we maximise those opportunities when they come along or create the opportunities we need to?

It’s all about the positioning piece.  We need to know where we are going; we need to have a clearly defined goal for what it is that we want and what path we need to take.

Research tells us that the brain can consciously focus on about seven things at once.  If you don’t have any clearly defined goals, your brain doesn’t know what to focus on! To be in a Position of Most Opportunity to achieve your goals, you need to have them at the front of your mind on a regular basis.

Firstly, when you are really focusing on your goals, you will pick up on those nuggets that you need to help you towards achieving them.  You will pick up on those things that might seem insignificant to other people but actually could be a real benefit or learning point for you personally – you will be in a POMO.

Secondly, you need to identify the motivation, the driving force for your goals.  If you have a constant driving force, then you will subconsciously look for the POMO because you are seeking anything that will give you the edge to success. If you understand your personal motivation, and it’s very strong and you are able to make it stronger, again you are helping to put yourself into the POMO.

Finally, your belief set is vital to goal achievement and POMO. If you want to achieve something but keep telling yourself that you won’t get it, your mind will physically move off the subject and create different dendrites. However, if you are confident and look to increase your belief around your goal, and you’re doing that constructively on a daily basis, then this strengthens the mindset. Work on identifying those ideas that are going to move you forward.

To achieve POMO you need:
•        A clearly defined goal and know where you’re going
•        To understand the motivation for you wanting to achieve that goal
•        To be passionate about your goal and constantly build your belief that you are going to get there.

With these elements in play and positive action, when you get there it’s not luck or coincidence, it’s the fact that you were in the POMO to take advantage of those opportunities as they come along.

So I’ll leave you with a couple of questions –
Are you currently in the Position of Most Opportunity? And if not, how could you get there?