Opportunity – when it knocks, do you answer?

The way I see it, there are two different types of opportunity – the opportunities that we create for ourselves and the ones that drop in our lap.  If you create your own opportunity, does that mean that you should always respond to it? Can you walk away from an opportunity that you created? Wouldn’t that be foolish? I think there are probably times when we create an opportunity for ourselves and then walk away from it for various reasons. We might have been too scared to accept it. We lost faith in our ability to be successful. We just plain changed our minds. “No, thank you,” we say, “I don’t believe this is the way for me to go right now.”

What about when it falls into your lap? That one, it seems, is far easier to walk away from. We can claim we didn’t even see it there. “What opportunity? I didn’t see one.  No, that was not an opportunity. That was someone else’s plan for me and I choose not to follow it.” Interesting. Let’s see how this works in real life. How about some examples?

In 1980 my ex husband told me he wanted to take our eight year old son to Switzerland with him for a two year work contract he was going to accept. My gut reaction was “Oh no!” But the words that came out of my mouth were “Of course! What an amazing opportunity for a life experience!” That part was obvious. What was not so obvious was that it was also an opportunity for me to complete college while working full time. Something I could not possibly do if my son lived at home with me. I would keep myself very busy and get my degree while my son had the adventure of a lifetime. Sounded like a win-win.

An opportunity I created was when I decided to move my family to Portland, Oregon. I felt it was time to leave California and find a more suitable environment for all of us. (“all of us” meant me, my mother and my youngest son, who lived with me).  I did the research, went on job interviews, discussed with all parties concerned and moved there for five years. I created the opportunity for a new life adventure for all three of us – all consenting – and that is exactly what we did.

Did I ever ignore or turn down an opportunity? Of course. We all do. Sometimes the thing that lands in your lap is not the right thing for you or the timing is wrong. It’s okay to turn away from it. An opportunity in your life is not by definition something you must always follow.

If we create an opportunity and then change our mind at the last minute we might have a very good reason to do so. Original circumstances that prevailed may have changed. Now what originally sounded positive is not such a good idea after all.

What happens to missed opportunities? Where do opportunities go that are ignored or pushed away? Is there a virtual dumpsite where the thousands upon thousands of unused opportunities go to die? Do they die or disintegrate after a certain length of time?  Do they get recycled and become opportunities for other people? People who may appreciate them more, or be in a better place to accept them?

You can see what 101 degree heat does to my brain! Actually, I think of things like this all of the time, heat or no heat. It’s just my mind and its strange inner workings.

Next time an opportunity comes your way, think about it before you make a decision. Weigh it, look at it from all angles. Hold it in your lap for a while.  If you choose to follow it, it may lead you to more opportunities, bigger and better ones! Opportunities are everywhere, some are obvious, like the ones that land in your lap. Some, not so obvious, may be disguised as something else or even hiding in plain sight.  And then there are the ones we create ourselves in a moment of brilliance (or insanity) that we may later decide are not for us.

You are in charge of your opportunities.  Choose wisely!