The phrase “business as usual” is a positive colloquialism to note that everything is working as it should. But is keeping the status quo of what you should be doing with your career or life holding you back from better financial health?

Read on to learn the 5 O’s of how to beat the status quo mindset and start living a life with more financial opportunities.

Overcome 

On your journey to breaking the mold, there will be a few challenges to overcome, both from yourself and from others.

Doubts 

Your mind’s way of protecting you from failure or hurt is through doubt. Without knowing it, you probably doubt yourself hundreds of times a day—from questioning your coffee order to your performance in a work presentation, your brain is working overtime to keep you regulated and happy. However, doubt can be toxic. It can be holding you back from trying what you think could hurt you in the short-term. To overcome doubt, start thinking about long-term results.

Perceptions 

Start to imagine every day that you could be missing a great opportunity from unnecessary perceptions. For example, if your boss responds negatively to a pitch you gave, instead of giving up and perceiving that they don’t care or like your idea, challenge yourself to view it in a different light. You could recognize that they have valid reasons for rejecting your idea, and brainstorm another way to solve that problem or obstacle.

Challenges

Challenges can be healthy. When you tell other people you’re on a journey to find more opportunities, you may encounter the occasional challenge from a loved one or coworker. Most times, these are good, open critiques to help you think critically. But be wary of challenges based on personal feelings and opinions. These won’t help you, and those opinions can eventually cloud your judgment. Start spending your energy solely on challenges based on fact rather than opinion.

Observe 

Though we live in an age of answers readily available online, there are still countless creative solutions, inventions, businesses, and innovations that are yet to come. If you feel stuck on what opportunities exist, start observing the world around you for inspiration. Every great success starts with answering a question or problem.

Other people in your life 

In the words of Jim Rohn, you are the average of the five people you surround yourself with. While this may or may not be one hundred percent true, you can start to observe the five closest people to you, both physically and emotionally. Call or talk to them frequently. Notice how they describe their day, their habits, and problems they encounter that need a solution.

Your workplace 

Are there processes at your job that you think are outdated? Do you think your company could benefit from a few upgrades? Start making a list every day of those moments of frustration or inspiration. You may start to notice a pattern in what problems you pinpoint, so analyze what you tend to gravitate toward fixing. What you enjoy will be easier to work through.

Current events and hobbies 

What do you like to do in your free time? Track how much time you spend after work on your hobbies, such as fitness or art. Keep tabs on the current events and issues you enjoy following. Whether that interest is in environmental news or stock market news, don’t stop learning about it.

Orient 

Your internal compass should always be pointing you in the direction of growth. It is a fine balance between focusing too much on the past or the future. Instead, orient yourself to the present with these points.

Your passion and your “why” 

If you haven’t already, read the book Start with Your Why by Simon Sinek to learn how to find your passion and move effectively toward it. Ask yourself, “Why do I want to live a life with more financial opportunities?” Reading this book and others from leading experts can fuel you to pursue your passion, which will ultimately orient you toward growth.

Your routine 

Are you stuck in a mundane morning routine of waking up, brushing your teeth, and starting the coffee maker? You can change this easily. Instead of waking up and immediately getting ready for work, try waking up an hour earlier to exercise, read, and meditate. Twenty-four hours in a day never seems to be enough for work and leisure, but you can take advantage of the time you don’t regularly utilize—you’d be surprised what a difference an hour can make.

Organize  

Every successful venture has a great system of organization that helped it succeed. It may take some trial and error, but organizing these parts of your life will aid tremendously in removing confusion, distractions, and frustrations from potential opportunities.

Your home

It’s been proven time and time again that a clean and organized living space can help reduce stress. Try the “zorro circle method,” where you choose a targeted area or “circle” to clean and organize weekly. For example, on Mondays, you can deep clean and organize your bedroom, and on Tuesdays, you can do the same for your office. It can feel much easier to break tasks down into smaller chunks around the home.

Information

Since you’re going to be trying to observe and learn more, keeping that info organized is crucial to be able to act on it. Implement a system that allows you to write quick ideas that can keep your long-term notes in one place. Writing is better for retaining information, and you can always type your hand-written notes afterward to have them stored in two places.

Thoughts 

The human brain is constantly firing about 48.6 thoughts per minute, and sometimes these thoughts can be helpful but hard to articulate. Start organizing your thoughts clearly by writing them out and meditating for at least ten minutes a day to give yourself an open, judgment-free place to think clearly. Let your mind wander and develop ideas. Resist the urge to push aside your thoughts for another day. They may be jumbled, but these thoughts can be valuable for opening doors to opportunities.

Offer 

Sometimes, to make more money, you have to offer your time, thoughts, and talent for free. Here are the places you should offer more to potentially receive in return.

Your time

Time is a valuable resource. Everyone’s time is worth something to them, and if you can put aside time to offer to someone, for example, helping at work after hours, you can craft and control more of how people see you. You’re offering value with no expectation of a return. However, people will start to notice, and your reputation will positively precede you.

Your talent 

Are you especially talented in any area of your work or hobbies? Offer to teach this talent. You may find that teaching reinforces your skills and helps you think outside the box. Try starting a live series online or talk to your boss about presenting a specific topic to your team. You are talented and an expert at something in your life, so start to treat yourself that way.

Your thoughts 

Giving opinions, pointing to problems, and offering solutions are all markers of a creative thinker. The more comfortable you get at offering your original ideas, the more comfortable you will be pitching yourself for financial opportunities down the road. Problem-solving and opining is a skill that opportunists have mastered. People like Bill Gates aren’t afraid to point out problems and offer solutions, so why not practice doing the same? Start small. For example, at work, you can point to a problem with the way your company markets or engages with customers. You don’t always have to have a perfect solution, but recognizing issues will get the creative juices flowing to find someone else who might know the solution.

Your life is your own to control, and while you can’t always expect to win every financial venture, you can expect to be successful in trying everything you can to get there. Fortune favors the bold. Reach out to a financial advisor, who can help you control your finances, to start brainstorming where you can grow your wealth and pursue the opportunities you deserve.