Last Saturday wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty close. I decided not to bring my camera with me to Trio beach because there was some chance of rain, and my mind was on other things. Mistake, I should have brought it. One well opportunity waits for no one. As I drove the motorcycle down Sai Sha Road, overlooking the waterfront, I saw some beautiful views. The sun was peering through the fog over the water. It looked amazing.
Making Excuses
I arrived at the geological park and took my usual walk to the beach. The ground was wet, and I am sure some people didn’t take the hike over to the beach because of that. They might have been afraid of slipping and falling. Others probably didn’t go because they wanted to sleep in. Still many others, I am sure didn’t go because it’s still wintertime and too cold for swimming. When I got to Trio beach, I was the only one there. What a treat, I had the entire place to myself. The white sand at Trio is among the finest in Hong Kong. Yes, it is a relatively small beach, but it is also secluded. You can go there and feel like you have escaped from the city for a while as there aren’t any high-rises in sight. While I was walking along the beach, I noticed that at times the fog was so thick that I couldn’t see through to the hills and green trees to the other side. Everything was white. At other times, the sun was so bright that I couldn’t even see the screen on my phone to shoot a picture. I just tried to guess at the framing, took it, and hoped for the best. Again opportunity waits for no one.
Missing the Target
The problem is, if we wait for the ideal, we might be waiting forever. When it comes to self-improvement, learning a language, starting a new career, or even helping someone else a lot of people make excuses, but time doesn’t stop for anyone. I am not sure if there are any truly perfect opportunities. But opportunities are waiting to be taken. Just like the pictures that day, I had to get up, drive my motorcycle, take a hike, and accept the fact that the pictures shot on my phone would likely not look as good as ones shot on my camera. Yes, I am still old-school here.
When I started writing this blog, more than a month ago, my phone pictures from this day at the beach were all intact. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. While I was on home visit, my phone internal memory was low, so I decided to transfer files to my micro SD-card. I just assumed that my phone’s software would handle this appropriately; I would go find the files later. Right? Nope, I should not have procrastinated. I lost most of the pictures.
Can Older People Learn a New Language?
About 3 months ago my landlord and his wife, who live on the ground floor of my village apartment, came from England. John has lived for some 40 years in England, but he doesn’t speak English. Like many foreigners living in Hong Kong, he likes to surround himself with people who speak his language. I suppose this is easier to do in Hong Kong than it is in England, but it is definitely possible in both places. It’s not easy to learn a second language. As I talked with John, his wife, and their friend in Cantonese, they told me that John was too old to learn English and that people need to study a foreign language when they are young. I agreed, but still, I thought to myself that’s just not practical for everyone. Not everyone has the chance to study a foreign language when they are young. By studying Cantonese as an adult, I gained some access to a world that had been off-limits to me. True there are a lot of things that are not perfect about my experience. But if I had waited for perfect weather, I would have never started in the first place.
T.W. Lewis’s, Solid Ground, is the best book I have read on success. Lewis starts off life with very humble beginnings. His dad was an alcoholic. In college, he picked the wrong major and became heavily involved in his fraternity. But Tom didn’t loose his way or become embitter. After becoming successful, he wrote this book to help young people on their journey. “TOM LEWIS is an award-winning entrepreneur and philanthropist who overcame career setbacks, tough competition, and a life-threatening illness to reach the pinnacle of success – and more importantly – fulfillment.”
What about you? Are you waiting for perfect weather? Is there an opportunity that you should take to develop yourself. It has been said that the good is the enemy of the best. Playing video games, watching TV, checking social media or even talking to a friend are all good things, but when we do them at the expense of other more important things, we stay stuck. Take some time to think about what your goals are and keep your eyes open for meaningful opportunities.
