Just because there is the possibility of being, achieving, or having doesn’t mean the opportunity will be there or that the opportunity will be available to you.

I remember after graduation, I had the chance to select a further study. The possibilities were wide and vast, but my opportunities were limited. I wanted to attend a local beauty school to learn how to style hair, but that wasn’t a possibility that I could entertain due to certain reasons.

Later, however, after attending an open house at an art college 2 hours away from home, I was given the opportunity to apply. After some paperwork, obtaining my GED for accreditation (FYI, I was a homeschooler my entire childhood), and figuring out living arrangements, this opportunity became a reality.

Reality soon became work. It was work to get in and it was work to maintain this learning opportunity.

I chose a culinary major and that came with a dress uniform for each class, 4-5 hour long classes, hands-on tests, early morning interstate traffic, and a host of other things.

I was determined to do my best, but at times I did feel myself waver. Does that ever happen to you?

Do you ever find yourself going after something then later wondering if it’s the right fit?

I didn’t have an end goal in mind when I began this journey to further my education. I simply thought that it was an industry that I could land a job in no matter where I was.

We all have to eat, right?

Obviously, becoming a chef wouldn’t be a job that would become obsolete. I had almost a year of experience working in a sub shop and I really enjoyed it. I loved the atmosphere with the other women I worked with, the routine of tasks, keeping things organized and having some good food to eat on my break.

As time would tell though, I would gather many more experiences in my lifetime other than those found in the back of a restaurant.

I could list them out, but that would just take up too much time and space.

At every turn there are possibilities, just like when you are walking down an aisle in the grocery store. Every product on the shelf is a possibility of something to eat, but do you grab each one? No.

Do you eat everything you bring home? Not always.

I’m sure you’ve at some point had canned goods sitting in the back of your pantry you eventually had to throw out due to it passing it’s expiration date or had fresh greens that got slimy in your fridge before you ate them all. Am I right?

The same can be true of our lives. We don’t always use every possibility available to us.

I would much rather take advantage of something that is going to lead to a really great opportunity, but we can’t always be sure looking from the outside in.

Just as you can’t judge a book by it’s cover and the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. It takes time, consideration, and good judgment to know when a great opportunity is present. It can take going through it and then viewing it from the other side to see that it was beneficial to you.

As is the case with much of what I’ve been through in my last decade. I didn’t always know why I was doing something or what advantage it gave me, but I can see in retrospect the purpose it plays now. Finding that common thread is what allows me now to choose what options will be helpful building blocks to grow personally and professionally.

What are genuine opportunities for you?

What has happened in your past that you can view as an opportunity that got you where you are today?

What’s happening presently to you that is a great opportunity?

What’s something you need to quit or say no to that’s hindering you from accepting a better opportunity?