The Importance of Seizing Opportunities

When opportunity knocks, you still get to choose to open it or not.

The skill of perceiving and capitalizing on opportunities plays a pivotal role in achieving success. It's not only about recognizing these chances but also about acting upon them when they appear.

Why seizing opportunity must be a priority for you

Let’s get right down to it – life is short. Sometimes it might not seem like it is, but it is. Time passes fast. You don’t want to get to the point where you are living with massive regret over the things you haven’t done. Trust me. I have massive regret over not following my dreams when I should have and feeling like I wasted so much time.

Fortunately, I have stepped through that, and am now going after everything I desire. Because I know that those things are going to be what make me happy.

Do not let the pain of regret become a reality for you.

Do everything you want to do with this life. And if you are living with regret right now over time wasted, know that it is never too late for you. It should be your priority to do the things now that really mean something to you. Whether it’s things you should have done before, or whether it’s new things, you have a responsibility to yourself to go after them.

You can’t let this stuff sit on the back burner.

You must make it a priority. If you don’t make it a priority to seize opportunities in life, then life will pass you by and you will end up regretting it. Don’t live in the shadow of what you could be or do. Instead, go out there and live life to the full. Seize the day. Seize the opportunities.

Why you should (usually) seize the opportunities you have

As humans, if we don’t feel like we’re growing, then we feel like we’re dying. Usually, taking an opportunity will make us feel like we are growing. If you seize an opportunity, then you will usually be forced to operate outside of your comfort zone. And the times that we operate outside of our comfort zones are the times that we really grow.

On top of this, we don’t like to feel stagnant – that we aren’t going anywhere. Taking opportunities that are in front of you will often lead you in new directions. They will help you to see things that you didn’t see before. They will open new doors and make you think about things differently.

Sometimes, of course, there are opportunities you should not take. But I wager that you would know what they are deep down. They are the kind of things that you know you don’t really want to do. You don’t really need to second guess that. If you know in your heart of hearts that you don’t want to do something, then don’t do it.

This is about taking opportunities that really mean something to you. Opportunities that you really want.

And this doesn’t have to be opportunities that are just presented to you by others, just as a job or experience. These can also be opportunities that you can create.

Let’s say you want to go and do something unique, like make a movie. Not many people go and do that off their own backs. And it’s incredibly unlikely someone is going to randomly come up to you and offer you to do that without any reason. But if you know you want to do it, then you can take that opportunity you have presented to yourself.

Again, this can be – and in many ways is – about you taking the opportunities that you give to yourself just by thinking about them.

This is about knowing what you want in life and deciding to seize the opportunity and do that thing.

Why you must seize the opportunity in front of you

If you have your sights set on something you truly desire, such as venturing beyond your comfort zone to try something new, that's the very pursuit that can genuinely bring you happiness. Ultimately, life is all about how we feel about ourselves and the experiences we choose to undertake..

We’ve all had times where we just don’t feel good about ourselves. That’s when the expectation for our lives doesn’t match what the reality of our lives is.

Well, that’s what an opportunity we really want points us to. We must take opportunities towards that thing that we want so that we can grow in that area, do more of it, experience joy, and feel truly alive.

How to seize an opportunity

Seizing an opportunity is as simple as believing in yourself and deciding to do it. It does not have to be complicated. Do not make it more complex than that.

If you want something, if you want to do something, if you want to be something, if you want to achieve something – go after that.

Decide to take the opportunity. This is your life. Go do it.

And when you decide to do that, then get started on it straight away. Even if you only have 30 seconds to put a plan in motion – like sending an e-mail to someone you want to work with, or telling a friend of your goal, or making a call to someone you want to connect with, or writing one paragraph of a book – you should do it right away.

Then, when you have more time, pick it up again. Then just keep going.

Keep believing in yourself and keep going.

Eventually, seizing opportunity will become your default. You just need to start, and you need to believe in yourself.

Conclusion – Take the opportunity now.

If you have read this post and realize that you are living with the regret of having wasted so much time in your life, know that it is okay and it is recoverable. Take it from someone else who feels the same way! I feel like I could have done so much more with my life than I have. But the point is that we look forward to the opportunity that is in front of us. Don’t squander the time you have now by living in the past. Go forwards and take advantage of life. Take advantage of the opportunity in front of you.

Go out there and live the life of your dreams. Go and do that thing you always wanted to do. Go travel. Go make a movie. Go climb Mount Everest. Whatever it is you want to do, you should do that. You only get one chance in life.

So seize this opportunity and follow those dreams of yours. Know that it’s never too late to follow your dreams. So go do it now!