Fresh Start Monday #032: Are you ready for the opportunity that might change your life?

Back in November, I wrote about how I wanted to start a meetup group. It felt like the first step to leading groups in a low-pressure environment, and I wanted to create a community here in Boulder.

After years of attending meetup groups all over the world, I wanted to create events with deeper conversations that also helped people take meaningful steps forward in their life.

I moved to Boulder on October 1st, and on October 4th, attended a meetup group called "Spiritually Human" where the inspiration first struck. Kelley Neumann is a Spiritual Counselor and Coach, and has been running this group for eight years (!!) organizing hikes, workshops, and more.

In November, I wanted to start my own, but I didn't feel financially stable, and didn't feel like I had the capacity to take on another project either mentally or time-wise.

In late January, I received a golden opportunity. Kelley was closing the Spiritually Human group. She was pregnant, and moving into a chapter of her life. She asked if anybody wanted to take over the group...

I thought about it and thought about it. But again, I wasn't financially stable, and just took on a part-time career coaching role that took most of my energy and focus. I never reached out.

This past Sunday morning, I woke up to an email that the new organizer didn't renew their subscription. I bought the group and became the new organizer of 1500 members within 10 seconds of seeing that email.

I felt incredibly fortunate, but at the same time, how I missed an opportunity. Luck usually doesn't strike twice. I took advantage the second time, but how often do we miss these opportunities in our lives?

Journal Prompt for you:

If you were given a golden opportunity tomorrow in your career, business, or personal life, would you be ready to take it?

So many of us wait for the opportune moment, but if that moment unexpectedly struck tomorrow would you be ready?

Would you have the financial stability? The time on your calendar? The skills required?

It's easy to make excuses for ourselves. We have stories that cover up our missed opportunities. In my case, I was laid off. I was settling into a new city. I started a new job.

However, if I had taken 100% responsibility for my life in November and January, the truth is I could have had a bigger safety net/emergency fund before I was laid off instead of investing aggressively. I also overstretched myself with commitments to fill empty spaces in my calendar.

Sometimes you need a coach to be brutally honest with you.

Sometimes you need to sit with, if I was 100% responsible for my circumstances and situation, what's the truth?

Sometimes we cling to the stories we tell ourselves, and it's hard to flip that switch. Another thought exercise might be, what is the 2% lie in the story you're telling yourself?

We can't control what opportunities arise, but we can be ready to strike.