Opportunity Knocks Softly

I’ve learned that the best time to say yes to something is precisely when your brain is screaming nope. When your palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, catastrophizing every possible outcome, that’s your cue to say yes. That’s when you shut your eyes, leap into the unknown, and hope the net appears. Spoiler alert: it usually does. And more often than not, it’s a damn soft landing.

I’m a firm believer that fate is a sneaky little bitch. If you hadn’t woken up to an empty milk carton, you wouldn’t have stumbled half-conscious to the coffee shop, with your hair in an obscene pineapple esque messy bun and locked eyes with that ridiculously cute stranger. If you hadn’t mustered the courage to show up solo to that party, you might never have met the guy who handed you your dream job on a cocktail napkin. And if you hadn’t bought that lotto ticket? Well, you’d be twelve bucks poorer and way less smug. They say people don’t win the lottery, but someone’s gotta walk away with enough cash for a fancy sandwich.

Take one balmy spring evening, for example. A friend invited me to be her plus one at a party that I had zero interest in attending. Actually, less than zero. The guest list was a who’s-who of people I’d rather avoid forever, think awkward exes and energy vampires, creepy old bosses and that one redhead who hates you for reasons unknown. Still, I agreed to go despite sitting in my car outside the venue, seriously considering faking a medical emergency just to escape but I didn't put a dress on just to hide in my car all night. 

I was sweating through my outfit when I walked in and I'm talking about pit stains the likes of which have never been seen. My fringe was sticking to my damp forehead as I held my breath and entered the room. The redhead was there, she looked straight through me, the creepy boss wasn’t thankfully, and plot twist: I spent about 30 seconds at that party before joining a group of equally disenchanted escapees for an unexpectedly fabulous dinner. Delicious food, cocktails, great company and zero small talk.

The point? Say yes. Even when you want to scream no. Take the leap, breathe through the panic, and hold on tight. The universe is often whispering, not shouting. You'll look back on all the tiny things you said yes to and be so glad you did. All those tiny yes’s might lead to something truly amazing so when opportunity knocks softly, don’t miss it. Especially if it’s holding a martini and wearing a great smile.