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Meaning of opportunity

Opportunities are situations that are favourable and allow us the chance and ease to do something. An opportunity is an appropriate period in which one can achieve a certain goal. Success is usually seen as achievable when an opportunity presents itself.

My thoughts about the statement

The statement "opportunity comes but once" tends to imply that opportunities are always a one time thing, if you miss it, you've missed it for good. This is misleading. It is understandable that the statement is intended to make people prepare on time and grab opportunities immediately they come up, but what happens when a person misses an opportunity ? Does it mean the end of the world for that person ?

Often, we are made to believe that opportunities come once in a lifetime. Of course, this may apply to some opportunities, not all. I believe that everything has to be done in moderation. It is best and advisable to prepare yourself for the perfect opportunity to come, but even at that, sometimes, these opportunities still pass us by, maybe due to no fault of ours. When this happens, most people give up, they get depressed, saddened or even feel defeated. In severe cases, they lose their will to get back up and push again because in their mind, they have lost the best and only opportunity they will probably ever have. That is in majority of the cases, not true. There can still be more opportunities. You probably won't know when they will come but they usually come.
As a result, I don't agree with the statement "opportunity comes but once"

Do I think this statement is misleading ?

Yes, I think the statement is misleading. It makes people want to do everything overnight to make sure they don't miss an opportunity. Meanwhile, it is better to prepare little by little, getting better bit by bit, in order to be ready for opportunities that will present themselves.

Getting one percent better everyday will make us sixty percent better in two months and about ninety percent better in 3 months. As a result, one can become well equipped, prepared, fit and positioned to grab whatever opportunity that comes. This is way better and in stark contrast with trying to get better overnight just so that you can grab that one opportunity, and when you fail to do so, it feels like the end of the world.

My friend's experience

I have a friend who dreamt of working at a certain company. It was the job he longed for the most. When the company announced that they were recruiting, he applied immediately. It was his big opportunity. To him, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. He spent a lot of time and effort preparing for the interview. He felt he was adequately prepared and was definitely going to get the job.
Unfortunately, he didn't get the job. He was broken. He lost the will to apply for other jobs. At the top of it, he began doubting himself a lot. He lost confidence in himself. He thought he blew his one opportunity, and his life was over.
Eventually, he got over all that and now, he has a better job where he earns way more than what he would have earned if he had gotten the other job.

How I would rephrase the statement

If I'm to rephrase the statement, I would do it in two ways:

1. I would add the word "some" to it. So the sentence would go like this:
   "Some opportunities come but once"

2. I could also rephrase the statement to this:
   "Good opportunities are rare, so take them as best as you can"

Thanks for reading.

I invite @ugochukwuprosper and @dayographix to participate in this contest.