Limitless Monday – Missed Opportunities

Limitless Monday – Missed opportunities

The cycle path was 4 inches deep in fresh snow a few weeks ago as I struggled to pedal my beaten-up mountain bike to work on its regular 3 mile trek.

I was distracted from the chill in the air and the burning sensation in my legs by the audiobook I was listening to, Source Code by Bill Gates. It’s an eleven hour biography which takes three hours to hit its stride. Today I stopped on the side of the cycle path to write down an idea I had for this week’s Limitless Monday.

The idea for an article was triggered when Bill Gates told of the moment when he was met with a roll of the eyes when explaining his ambitions for his new company, Microsoft.

It reminded me of the many accounts of entrepreneurs who have similar experiences when they pitch their idea to family members, friends, investors, or strangers in a bar.

The good news is, rejection, negativity, and skepticism make a good war story which usually ends in the listener feeling sorry for the naysayer who missed a once in a lifetime opportunity because of their lack of vision.

We have all been told stories of skepticism, triumph and deep regret. The early band members who left or were fired from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones before they became global sensations. The investors who passed on Uber, Apple, and Google before their potential had been recognized. The Bitcoin skeptics who missed out entirely or sold too early.

This article looks at the other side of the equation, the side of the skeptic. For we have all been skeptical at one time or another, and while I like to preach positivity, we have to be realistic: it is impossible to be positive all the time. There will always be times when we don’t believe and where we find out later we have been wrong. Even the most talented in their field make the wrong decisions: Marc Cuban passed up on the opportunity of investing in Uber, a decision he still regrets to this day.

The fact is, we are all wrong a lot of the time. We make bad decisions or no decisions. We choose not to make an investment in a new AI company because we believe the market is saturated only to discover in a few months time that in fact the market was only getting started, and we missed out on a massive profit. We decide not to show up to a date because we feel tired after 8 hours looking at a computer screen, and then discover to our surprise that our potential future wife or partner is now ghosting us.

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Opportunities are plentiful if you are in the game. Some you will get wrong, others you will miss, one or two you will exploit. However, the moral of the story is: we should never stop taking risks even if we miss one or more stunning opportunities.

When the Bill Gates Microsoft naysayers realized their mistake, I am sure many of them questioned their judgement; some probably had their confidence rocked. However, upon reflection, they should be happy that they were in the fortunate position to have been presented with the opportunity in the first place.

We must also remember there are many opportunities out there, however, only a few end up being winners. Most go nowhere. Sometimes it pays to be skeptical with an open mind. If you are too skeptical you will reject every opportunity that comes your way. Don’t be the one who is in the habit of rolling their eyes whenever you hear something that doesn’t fit the norm. Be receptive, inquisitive, and a little cautious. Encourage. Do what Silicon Valley investors are famous for; they never say no.

While it’s natural to be skeptical, know that one of these people/opportunities will prove you badly wrong. Opportunities are like buses: there will be another one along soon enough. But you have to be standing at the bus stop to catch the bus!

Happy Monday!

Banner Image: Shining light of opportunity. Image Credit – Ian Schneider

Harry Maximillian

Harry is an author, coach, entrepreneur, comedian and a convicted felon. Harry was sent to prison for a financial crime where he spent five long years. Prison allowed Harry to realize the error of his ways. He decided to use his time productively and mobilize his extraordinary determination, dedication, drive, motivation and desire to focus on writing and the art of self-improvement. Before Harry’s enforced vacation he was one of the most prolific deal makers in the City of London.