Opportunities Breed Accomplishments

"Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them."

-William Arthur Ward

A chance to achieve greatness can pass by like a snap! If you don't take that first step and grab it, it will definitely pass you by and might never find its way back your way. It's up to you and you alone to decide whether you're ready to take that leap of faith.

You might feel afraid to actually go ahead and do it but here’s a secret; it’s ok to be scared. It’s ok to feel a little bit nervous or hesitant. At the end of the day, you won’t fall to your death just because you decided not to do it. But before you take a step back, think about how you will feel five or ten years from now when you think back. Will you not think “What if…?” Will you not regret not being brave enough to defy your own boundaries and concur your fears? Courage is not taught; it is your actions alone that breed it. We all have that fear of failure and disappointment. That little dark voice in the back of our heads, whispering to us that we can’t do it. There are also all those other voices pushing you forward, supporting you to go for it. You need to get up on your feet and start walking!

If I hadn’t taken that first initiative to suggest a writing competition back in high school, I probably would have never been brave enough to show my work to the public. Also, I won that competition! It was nothing, just an appreciation plaque and a certificate, but it felt amazing to have my work acknowledged in such a manner! It made me think back to that one piece of writing we did in an English class when I was in elementary school. We were supposed to write a “letter” to a friend who had moved to another city and talk about how we are spending the summer. I wrote about a trip to the theme park and I was trying to make it sound funny. My teacher told my mother at a parent-teacher conference that it had made her laugh so much that she couldn’t help but share it with all the other teachers and her sisters! Needless to say, I was over the roof! I felt so proud of myself and wanted to continue to write to make people as happy as my English teacher Ms. Manal was. Yeah, I still remember her name. If she ever happens to remember me too, I hope she remembers that one letter I wrote many years ago.

The opportunity to write was given to me that day.

The accomplishment I felt was way beyond the years of a fourth grader.

A very dear friend of mine was recently given the opportunity to write for a comedy show that is coming up soon. He told me once that he wished he could write like me. I told him he had what it takes to write, but who would believe an eight-year-old like me? Next thing I know, he tells me the news about the writing gig! Needless to say, I felt the utter urge to say, “I told you so, I told you so, I told. You. So!” Now, he has already gone through his first brainstorming session and the complete joy I felt from him was unimaginable. That sense of accomplishment was just beaming from every fiber of his being! It was contagious and it made me want to go forward with opportunities that might rear their heads at me.

Opportunities breed accomplishments. Don’t be scared to take the hands that are extended to you. Trust yourself and your abilities. You can do far more than you think you can.

Until next time!

-Maha