I came upon these two thoughts on opportunities, the first from Hugh Macleod, the second from Seth Godin:

‘We can only accomplish something when we feel strongly – and there is no feeling strongly without feeling fear.’*

‘[Opportunities] often come enshrouded with hassle, perceived risk and the need to overcome inertia.  It’s easier just to say no.  What happens if instead of ignoring opportunity you triage it?’**

The funny thing is, the more we say yes to the right opportunities the more opportunities present themselves.

Seizing the right opportunities builds personal capacity, as when we’re faithful to building something with who we are ad what we have, we build perseverance: the capacity to thrive in pressured situations.

Another dynamic being increased is our freedom to act, meaning when a great opportunity comes along we have taken the time to build our capability and we can act.

To act is to see abundance – we are more than enough, as opposed to scarcity – we are not enough.  A simple triage for whether we should take this opportunity is made up of experience, talent, and passion or dreams:

What are our important past experiences?
Do our talents offer themselves to this opportunity in the present?
Is this something we are passionate or dream about for the future?

All of these add up to; We do this because it matters.

(*From Hugh Macleod’s gapingvoid.)
(**From Seth Godin’s blog Opportunity Triage.)