Missed Opportunities are a Figment of Your Imagination

This week at work, I am searching databases for grant opportunities with foundations. I am truly baffled at the number and variety of resources out there for funding and collaboration. There are so many passionate people out there!

This inspired me. After discussing it with my husband, I decided that I want to start a foundation in conjunction with my consulting work. We are still poor college students with very little to put aside, but we still give to worthy causes every year, so I realized that this could be an opportunity to connect with friends and colleagues and focus and track out efforts, even if they are small  in the beginning.

This spurred me to think about resources that I have in my life that I can utilize. It was not until very recently that I realized the importance of networking. I don’t know if there is anything more important to your success in any endeavor than having a strong network (by the way, I teach a program on that).

Let’s get to the point. I have a rich friend.

Five years ago, I stayed with her for a week while we planned a conference. I never wrote her a thank you card for welcoming me into her home, and as a result I always felt incredibly awkward about speaking with her. I haven’t spoken to her since I stayed wither her. I regretted failing to send that card for five years! With my new understanding of networking, I decided that it is never too late. I am writing her a letter tonight.

My friend calls herself a professional volunteer. She’s highly engaged in her causes and she would be the perfect donor to approach for my foundation. It’s funny that I never worked up the nerve to write her until I could find a purpose outside of myself. Now, it is not only less scary, but it’s necessary! And now that I have this new perspective, I am seeing that regretting this only harmed any relationship that I could have with this remarkable woman. She would never have known that I regretted not sending the card; I had to carry that alone.

I guess the moral of this story is that it’s never too late to take that chance that you missed. Regret is for people that aren't moving forward. Let’s be brave!