While the world is filled with good advice and encouragement to "seize the day" and take advantage of every opportunity that comes our way, most of the time are we really able to (functionally) make the most of life?
More often than not, I have not only missed opportunities, but have (deliberately) watched them float by, giving them a pass due to either a lack of time or a lack of money.
"Seize the day" is so often surrounded by a number of physical and what we might call "infrastructure" limitations that doesn't make it nearly as simple as it sounds to grab opportunities... tempting as it might be. The advice columns don't like to mention these obstacles.
Of course, there is also the issue of timing. Sad as it may sound, I have missed countless excellent opportunities because they came up at a time when I was unable to take advantage of them. These even included potentially lucrative financial offers that just happened to come along immediately after something like getting a roof repaired or having a major car repair that effectively precluded my being able to spend $5,000 on an opportunity that might have made $50,000.
Some opportunities even become a test of our core values. An opportunity may be truly amazing, but taking advantage of it would require us to break some important promise we've already made to a person we care about. This leaves us with the internal debate of whether to seize the opportunity and break the promise to somebody whose feelings would be sincerely hurt and angry... or forego the opportunity and stand by your word.
Getting back to the timing thing for a moment, I must admit that I have never been a fan of so-called opportunities that require you to make a life-altering decision — however positive it might be — with an immediate and pressing deadline rather than a little time to consider what you're getting yourself into. It really feels more like high pressure sales than an actual opportunity!
Of course, here I'm also betraying myself by admitting that I don't like to have to make major spur-of-the moment decisions. I like to sit back and evaluate everything that's involved before taking on something new. If there's an "opposite" ti impulsiveness, I wo i ld be it. Besides, I have a remarkably poor record at choosing wisely when pressured by time!
It's entirely possible that not everybody has the right temperament to jump on opportunities including people like me who are slow to decide and like to weigh all the pros and cons of every situation before drawing any conclusions.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great Sunday!
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2026.10.24 01:54 PDT
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