We all spot and respond to opportunities differently, often reflecting our expectations of reward and our levels for tolerating risk. It can also reflect what resources we know are available to us.
Having recently completed a tender which I did not win, I know many would not have bothered with that tender but I did because I saw it as a business development opportunity. Knowing what I know now, would I tender again based on the level of information I had at the time? I would, because of a few reasons: my assessment of chances of winning, knowledge of the client organisation, the potential for building a network of collaborating trainers who could support one another in reaching for higher volumes of work, my confidence for delivering the amount of work required and how much I enjoyed the creative thinking and practice of tendering.
I also saw the opportunity for skill development. We gain and lose many skills in our life’s journey, depending on the opportunities we see but also on choices we make. When we gain a skill and do not use it, we are likely to lose it, just like a top-range car left unused in a garage, or a designer dress locked away in a cupboard, past its season. The opportunity for creating a skill was there for a purpose and if not utilised when it is needed, someone or something else will fill the gap.
In addition to the lost opportunity to provide a service to another perhaps for profit, we also lose the opportunity to grow in our selves. When we make a conscious decision to use a newly acquired skill, we would begin to seek and become aware of opportunities to use it.
Effectiveness in daily life will come from choosing which skills to retain and which to leave dormant. Relevant questions may include, How important is this skill anyway? Where does it fit into the overall picture of our lives and what we are called to do? The challenge is that except if we give it attention, we often do not know where any one skill will fit in that overall picture. If on the other hand, we know what is really important to us and what we want for ourselves, we can make choices about where to use our time, efforts and other resources.