Selfishly take advantage of your circumstances

I’ve always believed that opportunity is something we give to ourselves.

And if we are willing to deepen and widen our vision of what’s possible for our lives, then when those precious gifts arrive, we can recognize and claim them as our own.

To me, that path of execution is more interesting than being right, staying on course or avoiding obstacles and problems.

But again, that’s just me. There are many who insist on evaluating every repercussion of every choice before making a move toward what they want. People for whom creating their to do lists take longer than completing the tasks themselves. Individuals who spend as much time getting in the mood to do things as they do executing their ideas.

That’s a very different way of experiencing the world than me. And it’s hard for me to make that empathetic leap.

Because my myopia bias says, hey wait, isn’t everyone else out there just like me? Don’t all people feel the same way about dreams and goals and fulfillment as I do? Guess not.

Here’s my theory:

Complexity is attractive because it feels like progress, but frankly, it’s only stressing us out. We are not showing up for our lives.

Being an opportunist, aka, the intentional policy and practice of taking selfish advantage of our circumstances, that’s not morally reprehensible. It’s not a sin to strive to maximize what’s important to us. It’s not wrong to make the most gains for ourselves at the least cost. It’s not shameful to do whatever is best for our future in the current situation, unbound by the past.

Maybe we need fewer dreams and plans and more desire and action.

Otherwise we hesitate. A moment of hesitation magnifies our doubts and gives way to procrastination.

What if opportunity was something you could give yourself?