Being
opportunistic is extremely difficult.
When an opportunity arises, how can you know that the opportunity will
turn out to be something awesome or terrible?
It is impossible to predict the outcome of any random opportunity. Most of the time, you do not have a lot of
time to take advantage of a good opportunity.
There was one situation were I had a friend of mine have an awesome
opportunity present itself, but he did not take the situation by the horns and
grab it.
Senior
year of high school I was the captain of the varsity volleyball team. I played varsity for three years in high
school, and my time had come for me to take leadership of the team and be the
captain. I accepted the opportunity and
really embraced the opportunity to become a leader for my team. The season was going great until half way
through the year a starting player on the team went down for the year with a broken
ankle. We really did not have a backup
for that position, but another starter could have filled his position and done
an ample job in the role. Instead of
offering to change positions, he asked me if he could stay at the position that
he was more comfortable with.
The
rest of the year, our team really struggled because we had a gaping hole and we
really struggled to fill it. I knew that
forcing my teammate to play a position he was unwilling to play would not do
the team any good, but I also knew that we were going to struggle a lot because
no one else could really fill the role.
I know
the reason that he did not want to switch positions was because he had become
so accustomed to playing his position.
If I were in his shoes, I feel as though I would have jumped at the
opportunity to try something different and experience something new. Hindsight is always 20/20, so it is pointless
to look back and point at little things that you wish went differently.
Another situation where I distinctly remember a friend of
mine not being opportunistic was about a week ago when all of my friends and I were
filling out applications to go abroad.
My friend is an education major, and he at first did not believe that he
could go abroad because of the various requirements that come with being an
education major.
Last week he received an email from one of his advisors
about an opportunity that came about for a few education majors to go
abroad. I told my friend that it is a
once in a lifetime opportunity and that he should obviously look into taking
advantage of this opportunity. Instead
of embracing this chance, my friend decided to not even apply because he did
not think he had enough time to research the school and make an informed
decision with his major.
I did not understand why my friend acted the way he
did. The worst thing that could have
happened if he looked into the opportunity was if he found out that it was not
a good decision for him. On the other
hand, the best thing that could have happened would be him actually being able
to go abroad and explore the world in a completely different way.
A lot of the time, people are so afraid of change. Why be afraid of a possible opportunity or
advancement. In my opinion, my friend
was an idiot and will regret this decision because he undoubtedly should have
jumped on the opportunity that his advisor presented him with. Now, it is past the deadline and he will not
be going abroad.
In total, opportunities are unpredictable as you never truly
will know the outcome until you experience that outcome. I wish that I could say that I take advantage
of every opportunity, but that is not true.
I am a victim of staying in my comfort zone and not trying new things
all the time.
Your essay demonstrates you are confusing opportunism (which means taking advantage of a situation to the disadvantage of somebody else) with taking action when the situation arises. With regard to the latter the operative phrase is, he who hesitates is lost. You are really writing about hesitation, not about opportunism.
ReplyDeleteWith regard to your first story about the volleyball team, I didn't understand what you said fully. Even if the player you mentioned had switched positions how would that have helped the team? Was his position easier to fill than the other position that was vacant after the player got injured? There are important bits of the story that may be evident to you but are not to me since I wasn't there. You need to supply those pieces to communicate your message.
On the study abroad example - opportunities do arise from time to time. Whether those are worthwhile to pursue or not, each person needs to judge for themselves. But sometimes factors come into play that matter a lot in the decision, though they may not get articulated. A shy person, for example, might be reluctant to go to a college where they don't already know somebody, whether that is study abroad or not. The fear of being lonely can then trump the upside from the potential for a rich educational experience. In that sort of cost-benefit we really can't make the decision for the person. In any event, the choice not to go was cautious, but not an illustration of a lack of opportunism, because nobody else's welfare was part of the consequence.
I do realize that I have confused the two words. I also feel as though the two words are very similar and in a lot of cases can be looked at as synonyms.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to my comments about volleyball. The player that I wanted to switch positions was the only guy who could sub in for the injured player, and not negatively effect our team with his play. Nobody else had the skill set that he had therefore no one could have done the job sufficiently. It will be much easier for me to explain this to you in class.
In my study abroad example, I was using the wrong definition of opportunism which sent me down a path that led me to my answer. I totally see what you are saying when you said that "nobody else's welfare was part of the consequence." I now really know what opportunism really means and how to apply it in many situations.