Have you ever passed on an opportunity and then kicked yourself later for doing so? Windows of opportunity don’t last forever. Sometimes the window is very narrow and you have to act in a short time or the opportunity is lost.
Not all opportunities are equal in importance, of course. The chance to buy clothes at a 25% off sale, for example, isn’t in the same category as the chance to say “Yes” to a new job offer or significant relationship. If I pass up the sale, there will be others. If I pass up the job or relationship… well, who knows what the future might hold there.
On a simple level, there was a nice opportunity yesterday to go for a long run in the best weather our area has seen in months. The high temperature of about 80 degrees was far less than the triple digits we have seen way too much of this summer when running was neither fun nor safe. So mid-morning I set out for what was to be at least an 11-mile outing. Along the way I thought, “It would be a shame to be this close to a half-marathon of 13.1 miles and not do it,” so I kept going, walking from time to time as needed, until I went a little farther than a half-marathon.
Of course, I could hardly move by the time I got back to the house. I was quite sore, but that only lasted a few hours before I was back to normal. By then I had the satisfaction of saying to myself “Jeff, you just did your first half-marathon in more than three years.” It felt pretty good. Now to vastly improve on the time it took me to complete that distance before next spring’s Kentucky Derby Festival half-marathon since yesterday’s time was much longer than the three previous times I’ve run that race.
When deciding whether or not to take advantage of opportunities, it will help if you know with confidence what is most important to you. If the opportunity fits with that priority, you may need to act while the window is still open.
Leap year lesson #221 is Take advantage of opportunities.
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