How many times have you heard “opportunity lost”?
Things like:
“I should have…
- told my parents how much I appreciated them.”
- traveled more when I was young.”
- stuck it out and pursued what I really wanted.”
So many times, especially in our youth, we imagine that there’ll be another chance. It isn’t until we’re older that we realize that second chances are rare. Watch that sunset over the harbor now because if you stop to grab your camera, you may miss the crimson hue. Take the trip, try for the job, phone your old friend, give the speech, dance with the guy, make a difference.
I’ve tried to explain this to my son but he doesn’t get it. I didn’t at 15 either.
He’s been accepted into a committee that will develop a state college prep program for high school kids. He and 34 other sophomores and juniors from around the state were nominated and selected based on their drive, intellect and creativity. It’s an honor to participate and the accolades are numerous. He’ll meet a variety of state officials as well as business owners, will learn how to write state legislation, and will bond with other kids like himself.
At this time, he doesn’t see just how beneficial this is, nor that an opportunity like this only comes around once. I let him make the decision on his participation and luckily, he chose wisely. As those of us who’ve held back have learned, grabbing the rope is the only choice that matters.
If you look “lost opportunity” up on thesaurus.com, you’ll get synonyms like disuse, loss, squander, and wastage. Here’s to ridding those words from our lives. And kudos to my kid, who’s made his mother proud.