The Hidden Reason We Miss Opportunities

Earlier tonight, the current residents finished their final practicals.  One at a time, they got up in front of the group and went through their assessment, clinical decision-making and treatment on a patient.  They were in the center of the room as the residency faculty, fellow residents and a handful of third year PT students watched.  Sounds impressive, right?  Absolutely, and they did phenomenal.  But, what was equally interesting was the PT students that showed up.

From 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm on a Monday night, these PT students sat and watched.  I don’t know their reason for attending, but the fact is that they showed up.

Scott Fitzgerald said, “Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.”  

That’s what I worry about- the missed opportunities.  The opportunities that we fail to recognize.   I don’t know about you, but it is often so much easier to come up with reasons in opposition to an opportunity.  I may have one reason in favor of doing something, but it is outnumbered by the twelve that I have not to do it.  And if I listened to those reasons, I’d never do anything.

Throughout our lives and careers, we are constantly making decisions based on what we think will be the most beneficial and impactful in the long run.  We are choosing to show up or not show up based on all the information that we have available to us.  But, we don’t know the future… so even our most logical and calculated decision is based primarily on assumptions.

When it comes to opportunities, the problem is recognizing it as one.  Rutgers had a student run clinic on campus.  My first year of PT school, I did the three hours that were required of me.  I considered doing more, but there was always another test, another project, or sleep I needed to catch up on.  I could always come up with ten reasons not to go and I never second guessed myself…..Until my first clinical when I realized how nervous, underprepared, and overwhelmed I felt.  My second year of PT school, I never a missed a Tuesday at the student run clinic.

And while I’m happy with my participation that second year, I’m more concerned with the false assumptions that caused me not to show up that first year.  Our biggest mistake is not that we turn down opportunities, but that we often don’t recognize them.  Over the years I found there were two questions I’d often ask myself that undermined my ability to see something as an opportunity.

 

Do NOT Ask:  Will this get me from point A to point B?

The problem with point A and B is that sometimes an opportunity doesn’t seem to fit.  We look for its benefit, but don’t initially see any.  That’s because many opportunities are not linear.  Opportunities do not always add up.  It is not always a scenario where “if I do this, it will get me closer to that.”  

During PT school, point A was a PT student and point B was a physical therapist.  While going to the clinic and volunteering would undoubtedly make me a better PT, it wasn’t so obvious at the time.  I was so busy worrying about coursework and passing the boards to recognize the student run clinic opportunity.  It took my discomfort during my first clinical to make me recognize it and by then I had already missed out on an entire year.  Opportunities do not need to have a clearly defined path to a destination to be worthwhile.

 

Do Not Ask:  Will my future self want me to do to this?

We are constantly trying to figure out what our future self will need and want.  The problem is that when we try to see where we want to be in five years, we are looking at it through our present perspective.  In five years, we will not be in the same place and will therefore not have the same outlook.  So, do we really know what our future self wants or even more, needs?

I’m not suggesting we ignore the future, but my first year self could not recognize that the student run clinic offered a tremendous opportunity the develop my skills.  I saw it as a burden that took away from my study time or my free time.  I had no idea that a few months later I would resent myself for turning down the opportunity every week.  My future self needed that clinic, but from where I had been standing I couldn’t see it.

There are better questions to ask yourself like will this opportunity lead to growth or will this opportunity change my mindset or my skills.  But, the problem is that we still do not always know.  Sometimes it is better not to ask any questions and show up without an agenda. Because sometimes, we attend residency practicals on a Monday night and realize what an amazing learning opportunity we walked into…. That’s what happened for me anyway.

When is the last time you let yourself just show up?