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Opportunities Not Taken

Opportunities Not Taken

And the price you pay...

mau
March 27, 2023

Everyone's heard the saying:

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

And even though it's true,

Not enough emphasis is placed on how NOT taking the shot creates an in-measurable loss of opportunity…

and leads to GREATER suffering than if you had taken the shot and missed.

Let me explain…

THE FEELING OF REGRET

Have you ever seen a window of opportunity open up in front of you?

Only to watch it slip away?

...How did you feel after that?

On the other hand, have you ever acted on it... shot your shot, and swished?

Many people go through life failing to take the shot that's right in front of them.

They convince themselves that it will "come again."

That they're "not ready".

That they'll take it "next time".

They conjure up a mental image of how they'll feel if they fail:

- Embarrassed

- Ashamed

- Ridiculed

But is it really that bad? Is anything really as bad as we make it out to be in our heads?

❝

An opportunity not taken hurts worse than a missed shot.

Mau

STORYTIME

A few months ago, I couldn't stop thinking about leaving my engineering job...

I knew it wasn't for me and that I wanted to start making money online. It felt like the only path for me.

A very clear opportunity presented itself -

my roommate got a call from a print shop friend saying he needed marketing help.

To some, they would've seen this opportunity and thought,

"No I'm not ready. I've never done any copywriting in my life or written a single email. I'm not gonna say anything."

But instead, I told him "Yo let him know if he needs a copywriter I'll write his emails."

Was I ready for this?

Did I know jack shit about copywriting?

Nope.

But now I can't help but think where I'd be if I hadn't jumped on that.

Would I be in Medellín right now?

Would I still be at my 9-5?

Would I still be looking for a client?

Would I have found my last two clients? (Not if I didn't come to Medellín)

Would I know everything I know now?

Would I have made the connections I have? Grown as much as I have?

I literally DON'T KNOW. And I don't care! All I know is the amazing things that came from it.

On the other hand,

The other day I was at a bar and I saw a really cute girl. She was with her friend.

I was walking past her and did a classic swerve-by: whispered in her ear that I thought she was lovely (she smiled) and went on my way.

(If you haven't heard of the swerve-by, it's a genius method to approach girls developed by @hanscomyn.)

Once you make that first connection, you walk away and let her sit in it. You give her a chance to take it or leave it.

Now for this to work, you eventually have to come back around.

She already knows who you are & you already expressed interest. If she likes you, the conversation will flow.

I specifically remember the window of opportunity to go back up to her...

she was standing behind the bar...

"Oh she'll still be there in a bit, it's cool."

A few minutes pass, I look around, and she's gone.

Damn!

Now I can't help but think – what if I would've just gone up to her again?

What would've happened?

I'LL NEVER KNOW. And still (minorly) haunts me...

And if I would have gone up and she wasn't into me at all?

Cool. WHO CARES? I'd be fine. I'll live. But at least I know.

And don't have to sit with these stupid "what ifs".

What if we hit it off?

What if we became lovers?

What if we had an awesome night together?

This is the pain that comes with NOT taking an opportunity.

You simply DON'T KNOW what would've happened.

And days, months, years later...

that moment when you saw that window of opportunity slip away will haunt you with regret.

MOMENTUM

Another great reason to take opportunities that present themselves to you is MOMENTUM.

If you get used to taking action on opportunities that align with your purpose,

you'll start to see the positive effects that come from it.

You'll start to build confidence,

build your skills,

and build a positive stream of momentum and self-validation.

On the contrary,

the more opportunities you pass on,

the more of these shitty "what if" feelings you accumulate,

the more your self-worth and self-talk start to plummet,

and the harder it is to act on new opportunities.

Building positive momentum is the key to achieving great things in life.

ACTION

The next time you see a window of opportunity open, do these 5 things:

1) Have an open mind.

Think of all the amazing things that can come of it.

If you have time, write it down. If not, run through it mentally.

2) Think of the WORST thing that can happen if it doesn't go how you want.

3) Ask yourself these 3 questions:

- Will I survive?

- Will I figure it out?

- Will I still be healthy?

(Most of the time the answer is yes)

4) Remind yourself - once this moment passes, it will NEVER look the same again.

5) SHOOT. Just go for it. There's a high chance it will go in. And if it doesn't, you can use it as an opportunity to learn and never have to wonder "what if".

And of course, just as important as it is to jump on opportunities, it’s equally as important to know what opportunities to say no to.