Does an opportunity knock only once?

WHAT IS THIS OPPORTUNITY?

What are opportunities anyway? I have come across quite a lot of interesting quotes about them, some more interesting than the others and it is quite confusing to come to a single definition. I finally boiled down to the definition by Dictionary.com, it just means  – a situation or condition favorable for attainment of a goal! . Or in other words, there is something we want to do and there is a chance for us to do it and we call it an opportunity! And of course a great deal is made out of it cos it is the situation which makes us achieve our dreams, desires and goals and also defines whether we are successes or failures in LIFE. Hence opportunities are very important in our lives. (Eureka :P)

DOES AN OPPORTUNITY KNOCK ONLY ONCE?

However I am still very interested in the quotes that define opportunities. Initially as we grew up, we were made to believe in this one popular one “An opportunity doesn’t knock twice“. It is a nice one and most of us have heard this so many times that it has become a cliche of late. We have been used to people saying this to us so many times that we even complete those sentences now!

But is it true? Doesn’t an opportunity knock again? (Is it so difficult to create opportunities?)

Well before answering that, let us try and consider what message it sends to us. It means that the opportunities are very precious in life and we have to handle them with care.  I am with this quote so far and it makes perfect sense cos we need to respect it and cherish it. At the same time, what if we miss out on it? What if we miss out on a chance factor? Don’t we get a chance to make it right? Won’t we be able to set things right?

OPPORTUNITIES COME IN DIFFERENT FACES

The inspiration for this article is from Priyakshi who said – “Opportunities do not come twice, rather I would say they come in different faces“. I think this is by far the best definition I have heard so far for opportunity cos it makes me believe in a life full of possibilities and it is ok to make mistakes and miss out on a few.

I MAY BE WRONG

I might be wrong but still, I would like to believe in the thought that there are opportunities, there are ways that we can screw up and be OK. Cos there will be times when we are going to screw up, there will be times where we make BIG mistakes in life, there will also be times where we get to learn from them, use them to our advantage and make a bigger difference. There will be times where we look back at these missed opportunities and mistakes cos they have created new ones for us and they have created something more namely our character.

I AM NOT SAYING THAT WE SHOULD NEGLECT OPPORTUNITIES

I don’t mean to say that we should neglect the opportunities we have in front of us. We should probably take them with all the spirit we have but maybe with a slight shift in attitude which says- This sure is a great opportunity and I will make it work cos it is important to me. But at the same time, I am not going to let it bug me to my wits end if it doesn’t work the way I imagine. I would still have the way I feel in my own control.. And that probably opens up a new dimension for us to look in :)

26 thoughts on “Does an opportunity knock only once?”

  1. I used to believe in that adage for a while Sunila and then I realized that it is hurting me more than helping me out and felt that it is about time that I change a few philosophies to live by.

    I agree Sunila, they do not come knocking, we just have to keep getting ourselves ready at every moment of our life and open up to them as and when we see it. And there is a whole lot of them to embrace :)

    Thank you for the thoughts :)

  2. I have never believed in the adage. In fact, I think it is an easy way out for those people who give up far too soon.

    Opportunities, like all other good things in life, like love, luck and money, do not come knocking. We have to seek them out. For those people not willing to look for it, this adage was written by someone like that.

    Look around and you will see potential and opportunity lurking in every nook. It’s up to you if you want to live life with your eyes open or shut.

  3. Thank you Veena, I think it is two schools of thought and I do believe in both of them to an extent. The first one says an opportunity which doesnt come again which says how important each opportunity is and how important it is to grab them all.

    The other one which says life is full of opportunities and we need to open ourselves up to more and it offers an optimistic world. I guess the truth might be in a fair mix of the two :)

  4. Nicely penned with thoughts and feel. Always grab the opportunity,it never comes again. You only get one chance at this life . . . learning to flow with the punches, think on your feet and grab those unexpected opportunities may be the best way for you to achieve the most satisfaction in your life.

    Good Day Vinay

  5. Thank you Tara. I agree, most times it is hard to realize an opportunity when it happens and in retrospect it seems like a simplistic one. But like you said, it finds a way to come back and we have to open ourselves up at some point to be receptive to them :)

  6. Yes Alok, very true. The possibilities are enormous, the surprises are fascinating and life itself is a beauty at each turn. The more we get to appreciate it, the more we are blessed with.

  7. True, each opportunity is unique and is demanding in its own way. And it opens up depending upon our preparation and the readiness to accept it and embrace it. The more we do it, the better we get :)

  8. :) happy that you like it Priyanka. I took a bit of time to get this article out. Was a lil anxious about the outcome. I’m glad you liked it :)

  9. Thank you so much Vinay for this article…:)
    I couldn’t have explained the quote better. You have captured the sense of the quote perfectly and presented it very nicely….Thank you once again…. :)

  10. You never know when the opportunity will knock your door…. Be prepare for it and grab it when it is there to be taken… Thanks for such a nice post……

  11. Hello Vinay, if you can post Priyakshi’s blog post link, it will be great.

  12. each opportunity is unique. So everytime it comes knocking, its a new opportunity. opportunity can be for something good or bad.

    :)

  13. Well, what I think about it is that opportunities will knock your door again and again. Every day is a new day and there might be so many surprises left hidden in it.

  14. Well in most cases, we are not aware about the presence of opportunity. But yes once lost, it will show up in some other way. And will further get connected. Tricky though but needs great instinctual power. Thanks for sharing the very thought Vinay :)

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