Someone said to me a very long time ago: “Eddie, there is no sadder thing in the world than a missed opportunity. When I look back on my life, the only things I regret are the things I haven't done, never the things I've done”.
What is a missed opportunity?
A missed opportunity is a chance you have not taken because of fear. It's most often fear that is holding us back from progressing.
Now, you can apply this to anything in your life, from the business you want to build to the cheap car you didn't buy last weekend. But the missed opportunity I am referring to, is not living the life you want to.
For example, when you met someone who could have a great impact on your life, and you didn't take the chance because fear was holding you back.
Here is a very interesting quote for you from the movie Indecent Proposal, which illustrates what I mean:
“I remember once when I was young, I was coming back from someplace. A movie or something. I was on the subway.
There was a girl sitting across from me. She was wearing this dress that was buttoned clear up right to here. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I was shy then. So when she would look at me I would look away. Then afterwards, when I would look back she would look away.
Then I got to where I was gonna get off. Got off, the doors closed and as the train was pulling away she looked right at me and gave me the most incredible smile. It was awful. I wanted to tear the doors open.
I went back every night, same time for two weeks. But she never showed up.
That was years ago and I don't think there's a day that goes by that I don't think about her.
I don't want that to happen again.”
-Robert Redfort in “Indecent Proposal”
Believe it or not, something very similar happened in my life as well.
