We ignore a lot of the opportunities that are thrown at us, but why? From what I have learned, we are all filled with much more fear than we actually need, and it isn’t until we begin to face our toughest ones that we can discover just how resilient we truly are.
I have lost count of the number of times that I have pushed away an idea, a feeling, a chance, and ultimately, an opportunity, just because I was afraid of what I may have to learn in the process of dealing with it.
Some of the greatest gifts I have ever given myself was the permission to own up to my truth, and welcome anyone in who can relate to me in some way; freeing myself from the expectations I had been chasing for all the wrong reasons; accepting that with the honesty will come the cold hard truth, but welcoming it in anyway because this is how I grow; always reminding myself that I am better than NO ONE, and it is not my job to compete with anyone else but MYSELF!
There is nothing I love more than meeting a complete stranger just to find out that they are a survivor, with an important story to tell. WE ALL ARE. WE ALL HAVE AN IMPORTANT STORY TO TELL! (And I know it may feel that I am going a little off track, but stick with me. I have a point. I promise!)
This is what I know about ‘opportunity’ through my experiences thus far:
- If we aren’t at least willing to take chances and try new things, how will we ever figure out what it is that we are missing out on? (Okay, that was a question, but I still think a lesson is implied in there somewhere. That is up to your interpretation! ‘Art is in the eye of the beholder!’)
- When we are open to the idea of ‘opening new doors’, we may just stumble into exactly what we need to learn. Good or bad. ALL opportunities are chances at growth, and if we are open to the idea of good things happening to us, we must also be open to the possibility of bad things occurring as well. That is life. With the good will come the bad, but how we choose to face all obstacles will also say a lot about how we will greet the opportunities.
- All opportunities come in various shapes and sizes. Some come in the form of art, while others may involve vulnerability, a career move, or a drastic change in behavior to get back on track. By facing our fears, may it be unresolved trauma, a past heartbreak, admitting we have a problem with anything, or anyone, healing our shame and truly doing the work it takes to understand ourselves… When we set our pain free, and figure out a healthy way to get it out of us, we will stop being afraid of the potential of ourselves, and we will finally begin to answer the door when opportunity comes knocking!
- Believing in ourselves enough to pursue ANYTHING we are unsure of…that can be scary stuff! It is still something that I must continuously remind myself of, but also, that is the point. I am finally starting to recognize that this work never ends. There is no finish line to this thing. The only thing that we know for sure is that it ends eventually, but how far we go, or better yet, how far we end up? Well, that is up to us, but I truly believe that the best way to get there is by answering the door when an opportunity is wanting to greet you. No matter what, you are going to learn something, and a lesson learned is always going to prove to be valuable over time.
I think we can all agree that I am adamant about ‘Opportunities’ being important, right? Okay, good! It would be hard for me to believe otherwise just with how many ‘opportunities’ I have welcomed into my life just from being open to the idea that both the good parts and bad parts of me can be beautiful. It has been through sharing my story and accepting my love for words that I have been able to accept myself one piece at a time. But I am just one person, and this is just how I have learned to answer opportunity when it comes for me.
Pay attention to the directions you are consistently being pulled, and entertain the ideas your brain creates for you. It is possible to reshape, and rewire your thoughts, and once we learn how to be on our own team, and want what is best for ourselves, we will stop feeding our fears, and we will start answering more opportunities!
Thank you for reading! Keep reading to check out my newest 'Opportunity'!
Megan Lawrence
Care to know about my most recent ‘Opportunity’?
Have you read the article (see photo below) I was asked to write for Healthline? First and foremost, I will always be blown away when I receive any and all kinds of emails. The fact that anyone takes the time to reach out to me is enough to make my whole week. But on one particular day, I opened my email, and there was an item that caught my attention. It was an ‘opportunity’ I could have never predicted happening, but a door I was excited to open and walk through. Which brings me to...Healthline. Thank you for reading my words, and connecting with them in a way that I may never understand, but appreciate nonetheless.
Anytime I am asked to write ‘my story’, it is always a completely new perspective that I am writing it from. The events may remain the same, and the timeline of my life doesn’t budge at all, but I guess what I am trying to say is that I am not who I was a year ago, let alone 5 years ago. Hell, I am not who I was an hour ago, and so, when I get an ‘opportunity’ to share my truth, I get a chance to see what it is I have learned in the process, and up until this point.
⬇️ Scroll to the bottom to find the button that will direct you over to Healthline! ⬇️
And as always, thank you for being here, and thank you for reading.
A BIG thank you to those over at Healthline. Thank you for believing in my story, and thank you for allowing me the opportunity to reach a larger audience. (Read the article I wrote by clicking the button below! ❤️)