The Illusion of Opportunity

Opportunity is a conniving, two-faced, beast of a word who has both broken and made many souls.

Because sometimes opportunities are glorious and life-changing. A chance to work with the top organization, company, leaders, or craftsperson can lead to great things.

But sometimes those opportunities are time and energy-sucks. Or worse. Work that you do to spin your wheels and waste the greater opportunity of this given moment. The unpaid internship. The “apprenticeship.” The chance to write valuable content with little remuneration. There are a thousand opportunities in front of you and me every day. 

And for most, these are not the opportunities you are looking for.

Necessarily.

Because not all opportunities are created equal.

Which makes “no” the most powerful word in your vocabulary.

The litmus test is the upside and the downside.

One option has a potential upside with a lot of risk. These are abundant. 

The other option has a limited downside with unlimited potential. These are rare. 

Run with option 2.

What about option 1?

Use your “no”.