Just spent Sunday morning at the park with my son.

He's 3, so naturally he collected every flower he could find.

Purple ones. White ones. Pink ones.

A random stem that looked "special."

By the time we got home, his tiny hands were full of what most adults would call weeds.

But he was so proud.

"Look daddy, beautiful flowers for mommy!"

Watching him, I realized something about how we approach our careers.

Most design professionals are like adults walking through that same park.

They see the "perfect" opportunities posted on job boards.

The roles at big-name companies.

The positions that look impressive on LinkedIn.

And they ignore everything else.

But my 3-year-old? He saw beauty in flowers most people would walk past.

He wasn't comparing them to some ideal.

He was just paying attention to what was actually there.

Career Creators do the same thing.

While Career Chasers only chase the obvious opportunities everyone else sees, Career Creators notice the companies that aren't posting jobs yet.

The hiring managers who mentioned they're "exploring options."

The connections who could become advocates.

The relationships that could bloom into something bigger.

They collect these overlooked opportunities.

Build genuine connections.

Create relationships that others walk right past.

And often end up with something more beautiful than what everyone else was fighting over.

Sometimes the best opportunities are the ones that don't look perfect at first glance.

P.S. If you want help spotting and cultivating these hidden opportunities, we work on exactly this in Career Creators. Building your Dream 100 Network of decision-makers who know your value before roles are even posted. Reply "flowers" if you'd like details on our next group.