Wasted Opportunity

Too often we tend to associate the thought of “wasted opportunities” with the big decisions we make in life. I should have taken that job. I should have told that man (or woman) how I felt about him. I should have followed my heart instead of yielding to my sense of pragmatism and pursued my dream to… whatever. Who knows what would have happened. I might just be a happier person today. The road not traveled is fated to be a haunting intangibility when we’ve yet to realize a savoring taste of satisfaction in life. The more frustrated we are with any aspect of our life experience the more we are apt to look back on those clearly defined forks in the roads that mark our life’s path with a heavy sense of regret. We then presume to live our life in a state of retrospect and in so doing fail to be present to the endless parade of more subtle but ultimately more significant opportunities that are passing us by everyday. These unadorned breakthroughs possess an inexhaustible power to impact our experience, yet we’re constantly letting them slip away often due to our failure to recognize them for what they are or the tremendous value they have to offer. Too many of us are continually squandering the magnificent possibilities that life is forever presenting us with. And what exactly are these opportunities? They usually come and go so quickly that we hardly pay them any mind at all.

They are the moments you experience where everything seems to open up for you, where every worry seems to fall away, every plight you’ve had to struggle with seems trivial, and the weight you’ve been carrying around as if it were your only supply of water in an endless terrain of desert lifts and in its place is this indescribable feeling of peace which gently (but rapidly) proceeds to wash all over you. And as the sensation of stilling calm sets in and begins to resonate throughout your entire being you’re struck with a sudden insight, a clear and absolute knowing of something profoundly simple yet truly liberating. In this moment you are overcome with the sense that…

Life is good.
Everything is okay.
Anything is possible.
I am truly blessed.

Any of a myriad of sentiments which, though simplistic, are immeasurably powerful.

You are familiar with this feeling, I’m certain you are because they are by no means rare instances. They occur regularly. They come in an instant and are usually gone just as quickly because you are generally swift to dismiss them as unreal; as momentary flights of fancy. The truth of it all is however is that these moments, when they occur, are not an indulgence of fantasy. They are actually a window into Reality. A window which you may choose to bask in the light of or one which you may opt to shut; in any event the choice is always yours to either accept or reject the legitimacy of these remarkable offerings. But it is too often the case that you choose to turn them away. Through your doubt and through your pessimism you let these fantastic assurances pass you by. And in this you deny yourself the benefit of the indomitable influence of these grand possibilities because here, in these moments, is your opportunity to drastically change the state of your aura to something more positive. To something more balanced and refined. It is your opportunity to improve the preferableness of the experiences you attract in life.

Your thoughts, in combination with your beliefs, work in concert to calibrate the tone of the energy which emanates from you (which is known as your aura). And it is this energy which attracts to you the quality of your life experiences. Tic for tack, what you put out is what you get back. Your life experience is a reflection of the energy you choose to broadcast. That is why these moments, previously described, offer such a magnificent opportunity. Because if you took the insights offered by them to heart instead of writing them off as fanciful musings you could blow apart every constraint that has been holding you back up until that moment and open up a whole new realm of extraordinary possibilities for yourself! Life is persistent in offering you these glimpses into Its true nature and all you have to do to realize the full expression of this Reality is accept it. Take the leap of faith and embrace what at first thought may seem to be fantastically improbable given the evidence of your past experience.

Life is good. Why doubt it? What possible benefit can be gained from such cynicism?

Everything is okay. You will secure no enjoyment from discounting this possibility. Let your understanding of the present state of circumstances be damned. Because do you really believe you are privy to the full scope of the grand scheme of Life (in general) or even your life (in particular)? Not everything that happens in life happens within the confines of your present line of sight. What may seem to be working for evil may actually be working for the benefit of some ultimate good. So why not assume the best and simply let it all play out?

Anything is possible. To deny this is tantamount to certifying your limitations. And why would you want to impose such boundaries upon yourself? Why not embrace the freedom of infinite potential?

I am truly blessed. Does it serve you well at all to instead cast yourself as a victim? Victims, by definition, incur suffering. And is this truly the type of experience you’d like to be subjected to?

Don’t discount the incredible. What you should do is reject the impulse to be “sensible” or “realistic” when such an adherence would work against the interest of your enjoyment of peace of mind. Take full advantage of these “little” opportunities Life affords you. Don’t allow your doubt to confuse the clarity being made available to you. It’s okay to be skeptical as long as you don’t close yourself off to Life’s great possibilities by being resolute in your disbelief. Bear in mind that your understanding of Life is not perfect, and as long as this remains true you have to be allowing of what (upon initial consideration) may seem highly unlikely.

So work on preparing yourself to be open to these simple little moments of epiphany when they present themselves (and trust me you won’t have to wait very long). In these moments is your opportunity to embrace a tremendously affirming change in your life experience. Stop wasting them. Stop letting them pass. Life is knocking, but when will you be ready to heed its call?