Many times in life, there will be occasions where you will have an opportunity in front of you. That opportunity is fleeting, ephemeral, only there for a fraction of time. If you wait, youâll lose it and life is never a guarantee. You never know if youâll find that same opportunity again.
Sometimes it isnât as easy though. Sometimes this opportunity presents itself indirectly. Maybe itâs in the periphery of your vision, maybe itâs an opportunity that only unlocks itself if you do a certain action. I call these n-degree opportunities, where n is the effort you need to undertake for this opportunity to present itself.
With time, youâll become good at spotting higher than 0 degrees opportunities. The important thing is never resting on your laurels. Always be proactive, always reach for something new, something hard, something that makes you grow. If thereâs something in your periphery that could help you achieve your goals, donât procrastinate reaching for it, do it now.
Sometimes you will have a number of opportunities, that will all lead to the same goal. When this happens, you have to be greedy. Reach for all of them. Try to always have a plan b, plan c, and so on. Life is sometimes unfair, you need a backup plan.
One day from my internship at Microsoft, I didnât follow carpe diem. I was waiting for the bus on campus, a Mojang employee was sitting next to me. I kept waiting for the right occasion to talk to him, until his bus came and the occasion was lost forever. âWhat if it bothers him? What if Iâm being annoying? What if I stutter and make a fool of myself?â Thereâs nothing wrong in talking to someone about their work, they will most likely appreciate it very much because youâre giving them a feeling of importance. Do not be afraid to catch the present! At best, you gain something new. At worst, you also gain something new.
Years ago, I also happened not to follow carpe diem and got permanent hearing damage in my right ear. I was biking to a concert from my place about 30 minutes away. On my bike ride there, I kept thinking to myself that maybe I shouldâve brought earplugs. Maybe I shouldâve gone back home quickly and grab my sleeping foam earplugs. I really wanted to, and I knew it was important, but I was scared of being late to meet my friends and giving them a bad impression. I ruminated about it so long that before I realized it I was already at the venue. The perpetual ring in my ears remind me of the importance of making the decision you want. Decisions shouldnât be prolonged. A trivial decision like that one should be taken in seconds, not minutes, while an important decision shaping your life should be take in days, not months.