Do You Ever Truly Miss An Opportunity?

2011 August 16
by Grace Boyle

I have this school of thought that there are no missed opportunities. As in, where you are now, is where you’ve been led and there’s something to gain, something to learn, something to process with the current and the next step, will also hold that for you.

Unless I am 90 with few years left in my mortal body, it’s probably never too late, right?

At the end of my last job, as I was considering my next step I wanted to start my own business and LLC.

As I like to say, I was a scaredy-pants. Nonetheless, I talked to entrepreneur friends, researched next steps and with my already existing client base (I work full-time, have some clients on the side) I thought I could expand it.

With two successful blogs that have solid communities, awards, press and readers I wanted to extend that to brands. I understand community engagement, social media, marketing strategy and branding. In some form, I have been doing it since 2005.

Diving deeper, my reach to the local food community had grown. My food blog kept me tapped into all food launches, restaurants, events and food news. I am in love with food, through and through.

Grace(full) Plate allows me to walk the talk, something that has always gotten me jobs.

However, that business never happened.

Ironically, I chatted with a local entrepreneur about their budding startup that was analogous to my experience. This was over beers on a Wednesday. On Thursday I had an offer letter, that I accepted. On Friday I gave my two weeks and after that, I started immediately as the Director of Marketing and Sales building this department, users and buzz as a one-woman show and helping create the building blocks.

I do believe, this is exactly where I am supposed to be. I pivoted. I entertained an idea, I probably could have rocked it. Instead, during my “feeling it out” phase, something stronger came along that felt right.

But, I did have to think before accepting the new job, “What if?” What would I miss? What should I do? Then it clicked, in the moment, I was going in one direction and found something to be a puzzle piece fit right here, right now.

I muse the food idea, but I can still do that someday and I believe I will be led there if it’s right. Not to mention, Grace(full) Plate is a small side business in itself keeping me very busy.

Change is always available and if you ask me now, I am blossoming and loving my new job (did I mention I still have those side clients)!

I am challenged, pushed, excited, growing, making change and part of something new that’s already, groundbreaking.

There is after all, opportunities sitting on your finger tips at all times. Don’t sit on your hands. If you feel you need to make a change, then do it. No point looking backwards, simply forward.

Have you ever felt this way?

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from → Business, Career, Change

  • justine riegel

    Awesome post, Grace!  I was questioning myself when an organization (now a client) asked me to help them with their social media presence.  I had only helped family members before and never a “real” client.  I was questioning myself, but then I decided “What’s the worst that could happen?”.  I’m glad I dove right in and I do not regret it for a second!

  • http://www.neverniche.com Clare Bear

    Wonderfully put.

  • http://parisianfeline.wordpress.com tatiana

    Have you ever felt this way?
    I’m honestly not sure. I’m sure if other people read this post, they would call something like this destiny – which I don’t believe in. But it’s what I’m grappling with, trying to understand my own position. Could it have been fate that led you to your new job? Something so coincidental and perfectly aligned? Or was it blind chance, that had nothing to do with you?

    I bring this up because it makes me think about the concept/idea of “opportunities”. Are they what we make them or things that reflect some larger design or plan? Right now, I’m unemployed but in the process of applying to teach English in South Korea. My grandmother has been trying to understand the “purpose/reason” (ie: Why am I here?) behind my visit – and she thinks that my plans to teach in Korea are a culmination of my staying with her. But I disagree.

    This is kind of what I believe in: that you choose what you want to experience and work toward that goal. Your choices are purposeful, not haphazard, and they’re in line with what you want (which means constantly checking in to make sure that you want what you want). I’ve been having difficulty finding work, which I would say prompted my decision to teach abroad for a year. But I also know that I didn’t want to get stuck in yet another grind which is what I had before – at a job I marginally liked, doing repetitive tasks I couldn’t stand in an environment (ie: retail) that didn’t cater to any of my natural tendencies (ie: Strength Finders 2.0).

    So do I believe in the concept of missed opportunities? I definitely feel that we can make our own “opportunities” but we can’t ever really know if those opportunities were worth it or not until afterward.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.com Grace Boyle

    Thanks Justine. It’s hard sometimes and I think people don’t often talk about what all their job options are because it usually has to be on the hush. After some time, I realized how I had to process all of it. Good for you on your clients, that’s the perfect attitude.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.com Grace Boyle

    Thanks dear :) Like we recently talked about ironically, it’s something I gripe with. If I want to make a change, I always can. It’s just about making a conscious choice.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.com Grace Boyle

    Great insight, as always Tatiana. I suppose my point wasn’t that it was destiny, it’s just that the fit felt right for many different reasons at that point in time when the opportunity presented itself.

    There are many reasons why we make decisions, that’s for sure. I think
    we need to understand those decisions too like your rationale with South
    Korea. We have to often weigh different opportunities.

    When you have 2-3 job options in front of you, you have to pick one. That is a common option and maybe it has to do with love, relationships, moving, traveling, etc. I just feel that no choice is “wrong” which I felt was the takeaway.

  • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa Doucette

    I love this because of the notion I hear so often “If you don’t do it now, when will you?”

    Honestly, I understand what they are saying so often. That we put off things and imagine “one day” when in reality we are avoiding taking a huge leap or risk. That if we don’t drop everything and take this opportunity at this very instant and moment, we never will.

    Which is sometimes true. And sometimes, it just REALLY is not the right time. Then other opportunities present themselves. And we need to back up and punt rather than playing down the field.

    The important difference is knowing when to gulp down the terror and jump and when to take the alternate route and back burner something.

    I’m still working on that one.  ;)

  • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa Doucette

    I love this because of the notion I hear so often “If you don’t do it now, when will you?”

    Honestly, I understand what they are saying so often. That we put off things and imagine “one day” when in reality we are avoiding taking a huge leap or risk. That if we don’t drop everything and take this opportunity at this very instant and moment, we never will.

    Which is sometimes true. And sometimes, it just REALLY is not the right time. Then other opportunities present themselves. And we need to back up and punt rather than playing down the field.

    The important difference is knowing when to gulp down the terror and jump and when to take the alternate route and back burner something.

    I’m still working on that one.  ;)

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.com Grace Boyle

    Yes, knowing the difference! Veryyy important. Ah!

  • Boyle Erin

    We all have been there. I struggled with a huge decision to leave NYC and move to Florida and was sure I had made the right move. Then I struggled again, as I second guessed myself and wondered…”I am not happy- What if I had stayed?”…and now here I am again, right after another huge leap to move to Colorado.  But I think I just had a longer stint of uncertainty this time because it all came cycling back around, and I can now say that I DID make the right move. All of those risks led me here:)

  • Boyle Erin

    We all have been there. I struggled with a huge decision to leave NYC and move to Florida and was sure I had made the right move. Then I struggled again, as I second guessed myself and wondered…”I am not happy- What if I had stayed?”…and now here I am again, right after another huge leap to move to Colorado.  But I think I just had a longer stint of uncertainty this time because it all came cycling back around, and I can now say that I DID make the right move. All of those risks led me here:)

  • Boyle Erin

    We all have been there. I struggled with a huge decision to leave NYC and move to Florida and was sure I had made the right move. Then I struggled again, as I second guessed myself and wondered…”I am not happy- What if I had stayed?”…and now here I am again, right after another huge leap to move to Colorado.  But I think I just had a longer stint of uncertainty this time because it all came cycling back around, and I can now say that I DID make the right move. All of those risks led me here:)

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.com Grace Boyle

    It’s such a good point. It’s funny wondering what could have been, because we will NEVER know :) That is why I realize all paths take us to where we need to be…hard to stomach sometimes, but stepping back always helps. xoxo

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