Seizing Your Window of Opportunity

One thing is for certain, “every dog has their day”. I particularly like the Merriam-Webster definition of opportunity, “an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done”. Opportunity is fickle and constantly fleeting.

This little story began in late December of 2019, almost 2 years to this day. When COVID-19 first struck the world, I was presented with a very fortunate and unique opportunity. With this chance in hand, I made the decision to return to college at 40 years of age. A decision that would result in a chain reaction of opportunities.

Many businesses pivoted to a work-from-home posture as the uncertainty of the virus persisted. Through this global tragedy, I was fortunate enough to finally discover that elusive window of opportunity. You might say the dominoes of the world starting tipping from things began years ago.

For many years I had always wanted to return to college and obtain my degree. I had an excuse for every time it crossed my mind. I did not have enough money, frequent promotions, or not enough time in the day to get it done. One day all of the stars, planets, constellations, and extraterrestrials had aligned. I changed employers, full tuition reimbursement, great school (WGU), supporting spouse, and time on my side. The window of opportunity I was waiting for had finally opened.

Find Your Motivation

I had always relied upon my productivity and ingenuity to push my career forward, with this new environment I made the most of every minute made available to me. I was able to start my working day as early as 4:30 a.m. and was hitting the books by 3:00 p.m., allowing me a minimum of 8-9 hours dedicated to schooling while making substantial progress at work . The time saved from commuting back and forth to the city, was enough to be overjoyed about. For my readers within 30 miles of Boston, you know what I’m talking about. The weekends were 100% dedicated to school for 12-15 hours each day.

This is where I am compelled to touch on motivation for a moment. You have to draw it from anywhere you can find it. Some derive it from videos on YouTube, quotes from Google, and family members. I pulled from every source I could find. The #1 source for me, was a running group of papers I hung on the wall next to my computer. Every time I would pass an exam, I would proudly march it over to my Wife who would update my progress.

That is not to say there weren’t sacrifices to be made (I’m looking at you pillows and blankets). This was my golden opportunity and I could not let it pass. I needed to give this 110% of my effort and time. With the support of my Wife, parents, and manager, I had to see this through to the end. For anyone reading this, never entertain resignation to failure as an outcome. The payoff in the end is worth every challenge, sleepless night, and leisure forsaken.

After Success, Don’t Stop

Fast forward 15 months and I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Business Management, followed by an MBA. The window of opportunity was still open, I had to enroll in the Master’s of Management & Leadership program starting this January. The extraterrestrials apparently are still in alignment. The key thing here is, after the initial success is achieved do not stop there! One of my favorite quotes is also the title of Marshall Goldsmith’s book “What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There”. Graduation day was a virtual commencement while studying for my MBA. Not quite how I envisioned graduating college however, capitalizing on the opportunity was what mattered.

From my recent education, I rediscovered my love for writing and what ultimately brought me back to The Boston Image. After you’ve written dozens of 20-30 page papers you realize one of two things. You either love writing or it is the bane of your existence! I for one, always enjoyed putting thoughts down to paper or screens for that matter.

In the End, It’s Up To You

Sometimes that window of opportunity may not be so obvious and certainly not handed to you with instructions. The opportunity may be a fleeting moment or prolonged by your willingness to take action. The will and desire are the prerequisites you must bring to the table so when your window opens, you not only recognize it, but seize it without hesitation. Two things has proven itself true time and time again. One, when you take action on an opportunity, additional opportunities always seem to follow (laws of attraction?). Secondly, in the end it is really up to you to make that first step.

If there is one thing I can impart from these experiences, it’s this. Focus your attention and energy on what is within your sphere of influence and in time, when your window opens I hope you have one foot off the ground and the other ready to jump.

Always remember, “every dog has their day”.

-Timothy