Awesome Opportunities
By Steph Beth Nickel
A couple of weeks ago, I was approached by one of the teachers who attends our church. Her goal? To see if I would be willing to speak to her Gr. 7/8 class about publishing a book—since one of their current assignments is to write books for the Kindergarten students.
I was over the moon!
Because she offered me an entire period (or two), I decided to walk the students through the entire process and called it “From Book Idea to Bookstore.”
When I sent Paula the outline, she was thrilled. <happy dance>
Was I looking for opportunities to speak? Nope! (Although I do love speaking to groups about things I’m passionate about.)
Did God open doors because of who I am, where I attend church, and what I do? He did.
And He can do the same for you. Isn’t that incredible?
Before we accept an opportunity, it’s important to ask ourselves a series of questions—even when our first impulse is to jump up and down (possibly metaphorically) and say, “Yes. Yes! YES!”
Here are six questions we can ask ourselves when it comes to discerning if the time is right to say yes to an opportunity that comes our way:
- Do I have time to take this on and do it well? Do I REALLY have the time?
- Why am I considering taking on this new opportunity? Is it something that excites me? Do I feel called to say yes? Am I doing it because I’m flattered to have been asked? (If your answer to the third option is “yeah, I think that’s it,” know that it’s okay to simply say, “Thank you so much for asking, but I’m unable to take on this task.” If you believe this is the right answer for you, be willing to respectfully but confidently stand your ground.)
- What am I willing to set aside in order to take on this opportunity? (Sleep, regular physical activity, time with family and friends, etc. are not likely what we should set aside—at least not for any significant length of time.)
- Will my other responsibilities suffer?
- Will the excitement wear off and leave me feeling overwhelmed? (Even though I love to spin “all the plates,” recent feelings of overwhelm have me examining what I will be setting aside and what I will be continuing to do in the days ahead.)
- Before giving my answer, have I prayed about it and sought wise counsel from someone I trust?
There are far more questions you could ask yourself before taking on a new opportunity, and I’d love to hear some of yours.
But . . .
When that awesome opportunity comes your way that you’re fairly certain / absolutely certain you should say yes to . . .
GO FOR IT!
As an editor, Steph Beth Nickel has the honour of coming alongside writers to help them polish their work. As the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’s memoirs, Steph has been blessed to work with this amazing woman. And as a future self-published author, with the Lord’s help, Steph has taken brave steps toward publication.
If you would like more information about her services, you can contact her at stephbethnickelediting@gmail.com.
You’re invited to visit her website: http://stephbethnickeleditor.com/.
You can join her Editing Tips Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/418423519384351.