When you find something that you love to do — be that music or writing or physics… etc Opportunities will start popping up around you like crazy.
Opportunity comes when you go out and look for It. Ask your friends, ask acquaintances and people you don’t know. No matter how many no’s you get, you only need one yes.
The thing about opportunity is that It is a gift AND a curse. That might sound crazy to you, especially if you’re in a dire situation right now and you’re desperate for a break. (I’ve been there.) When you’re in that state of mind, you say yes to anything and everything that comes your way.
Opportunity can be bad when the more things you say yes to slowly, but surely, takes you away from what you love. We have a finite amount of resources to give in this life. There’s only so much time, energy and attention you can give. When you stretch yourself out by saying yes to every opportunity you meet, you miss out on the Opportunities you really want.
You see this all the time with nonfiction writers. They’ll start with writing a book, which leads to other opportunities like speaking at events and to business. Gotta pay the bills and get your name out there, right? Before they know It, 90% of their time is spent speaking and traveling to speak, and they only have a sliver of time left to do what they love, which is to write.
Speaking and writing aren’t bad choices. What’s bad is saying yes to things that take you away from time well-spent doing what you love.
It’s like we’re procrastinating away our time to ‘important’ things without actually thinking about where those paths would take us.
True devotion to your craft is learning to say NO to every other opportunity that pops up that distracts you from your missions.
I’m learning this the hard way right now.
I’m working at least 60 hours week right now. (Not including time spend on writing, podcasting, and working on my music.) Which leaves me less free time than I️ would like. By trying to get ahead of my finances, I’ve given away most of my time. Don’t get me wrong, I️ like the work that I’m doing. But there’s only so much time you can give before you start breaking and burning out. Maybe it’s necessary, to create the life you want. Or maybe saying No is exactly what you need.
As you can see, this thought is a work in progress.
Q: What Opportunities have you said yes to? Are you saying yes to the things you love?
Q: What Opportunities should you say no to?
Stay BOLD, Keep Pursuing,
— Josh Waggoner
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Related Insights
“Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.” — Kobe Bryant
“Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor.” — H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
“Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat.” — Napoleon Hill
