Opportunities (actual) and leads (possible) are delivered fast and furious in this age of instant communication. I am learning that I have to be as fast in my response. To hesitate, even for a day, can often mean that the opportunity that knocked has left your doorstep, your street, sometimes even your city. Knocks In the past week – two opportunities came to my inbox. One delivered by an acquaintance of some years, the other by a friend. I paused on one and even though I got the materials in (encouraged by an email exchange with the organization) I didn’t do it quickly enough and received a short email: “I am sorry to tell you the grants for the workshop are committed.” I was encouraged to watch for other opportunities on their website and apply again in the future which I will but… Cut & Paste is my friend So, on Tuesday morning when I got an email from a friend alerting that an organization was looking for people to read grants, I actually delayed my departure for a meeting to craft a quick cover letter and send my resume. Thank goodness for cut and paste and old documents quickly accessed. I cut and pasted relevant bullet points from other correspondence, read the letter 3 times (and spell-checked) and off it went. I got the gig and go for a short training session on Monday. Even though it meant I was 15 minutes late for a standing Monday meeting (which usually starts late but of course didn’t this time and, yes, I alerted them, consummate professional that I am J), I carped the frickin’ diem. I’m glad I did because the email I sent was sent to other people and the grant reading spots were filled quickly. Stupid, Slug And, yet, I hesitate, again. (Why, Candelaria, why?!) I have successfully bought around 14+ different items from Craig’s List for my home. I have lost many more beautiful items when I hesitated because of cost or because I was trying to figure out how to get the item or didn’t send an email indiciating my interest the first time I saw the object I desired. This time, my hesitation cost me two beautiful lamps that would have been perfect for my tiny bedside tables (purchased from Craig’s list for a song). The lamps only cost $20 each! (Told you I was stupid and a slug!) In my defense, I contacted the seller early and was ready to pick them up on Thursday but the seller was going out of town until Monday. She sent an email Monday morning saying that it was a traffic zoo downtown where she lived (because of the marathon). I wrote that I would pick them up the next day and gave her some times. She wrote back. Something told me to go on down and brave the crowds and get them but – having had a couple of exchanges I thought we were cool. Chick wrote me back that night: I’m really sorry to do this to you, but I just received another offer of full price, cash, and willing to pick up the lamps within an hour, and I took it. I would not usually ever do this, but I have been trying to get rid of the lamps for a while, and while I have the day off I needed to take the opportunity to sell them. Please accept my apologies. I hope you are able to find a suitable alternative elsewhere. Really? Yeah, really. And I have only myself to blame because I ddn’t jump, jump, jump on it to borrow from the Aretha Franklin song (Jump, Jump, Jump to It, where she sings, “when my baby calls” and her back- up singers sing “jump to it.”)
Dang!
I hesitated. Didn’t read the email until the evening I received it. Filled out all the narrative information but messed around in getting the financial information. Then my home fax machine said that the fax # I had was wrong. It turned out it wasn’t, my machine is whack, but that meant I waited another day to a fax. (Still, how could an opportunity that was still open on Monday morning be lost by Monday evening? Could it be that they didn’t like my stuff? No, it couldn’t possibly be that.)
When opportunity raps on my door – I’m jumping. In fact, bye-bye…got a cover letter to write for a freelance facilitation gig.
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Falling Asleep at the Wheel of Your Life
This is article is so right-on-time for me–if one is willing and open, God will even speak through a well written blog post! I have been consumed by a care-giving situation that had rendered me detached from my normal routine. Last week I made verbal commitments to contact people this week for follow up that I have yet to do–and it is already Wednesday. I am jumping on it TODAY. Thanks for this wonderful tap on my shoulder–this sounds gentler than “kick on my butt.” LOL