Recognising and Embracing the Right Moments
Opportunities don’t always arrive in clear, comfortable ways. They often come disguised as uncertainty, challenges, or losses. Recognising them is the first step toward making the most of them.
A Note Before the Story
What follows may seem a bit self-indulgent, it does to me. There’s no need to read on if it doesn’t resonate—this is more for me than for anyone else. Because this was me, one of my moments. This was one of those moments that helped define me, that gave me something to hold onto when everything had slipped away a few months earlier. As I crashed into the realisation of what had happened—of what had been lost, what had changed, and what could never be undone—this experience became a quiet anchor, yet unknowingly became another challenge to act and conquer a few months later, a story for another time.
You don’t always get to choose the moments that shape you. But when they come, you do get to decide how you carry them. And for them and us, we just have to keep moving forward.
Introduction
In life and work, moments of highest leverage rarely come with a signpost. They require awareness, courage, and a willingness to step beyond hesitation. Seth Godin’s The Moment of Highest Leverage (Tue 12 Mar 2013) captures this idea powerfully—urging us to step fully into defining moments without fear, compromise, or second-guessing. His words resonate deeply because they go beyond theory; they reflect the inner battle between hesitation and boldness, between playing it safe and bringing our truest selves forward.
The insights below reflect the journey of recognising, embracing, and maximising these moments—from shifting mindsets to making confident decisions, sustaining momentum, and ultimately creating more opportunities through intentional boldness.
Recognising and Reframing Opportunities
"Opportunities don’t always look like opportunities—sometimes they come disguised as uncertainty, discomfort, or even failure."
Before action, there must be recognition. Opportunities often don’t appear as clear choices but as discomfort, uncertainty, or even setbacks. Shifting perspective is the first step toward unlocking their potential.
1. Opportunities Don’t Always Look Like Opportunities
"Uncertainty often hides the best chances - The best opportunities rarely announce themselves."
Some of the most defining moments first appear as challenges, detours, or uncertain leaps. When viewed differently, obstacles often reveal hidden advantages. Remaining open to unexpected possibilities might uncover more opportunities than waiting for the obvious ones.
2. The Best Decisions Often Feel Uncomfortable
"Discomfort is a sign of real growth."
The choices that lead to the greatest transformations rarely feel safe at first. What seems irrational today may later appear like the only logical path. Trusting in the discomfort of growth could make the unknown feel less like a risk and more like a calling.
3. There May Not Be a Next Time
"Some doors only open once."
It’s easy to assume that another opportunity will come, but not all doors reopen. Many pivotal moments only reveal their significance once they’ve passed. Perhaps acting with the urgency of now ensures fewer regrets later.
Recognising an opportunity is only the first step; acting on it requires overcoming the urge to hesitate.
Overcoming Hesitation and Self-Doubt
"Hesitation rarely protects you from failure—it only guarantees inaction."
Even when opportunities are clear, hesitation often stands in the way. Fear, perfectionism, and the pursuit of approval can delay action indefinitely. Moving past these internal barriers is essential.
4. Hesitation Erodes Potential
"Waiting too long makes action harder."
Momentum fades the longer a decision is delayed, making action harder over time. Often, the real loss isn’t failure but the opportunity that was never pursued. Taking a step forward, even imperfectly, may open doors that overthinking keeps closed.
5. Overthinking Kills Opportunity
"Too much thinking stops real doing."
High-leverage moments rarely announce themselves and can often feel risky or unclear. Many wait for absolute certainty, only to realise in hindsight that they missed something significant. Perhaps trusting intuition over excessive analysis allows more doors to remain open.
6. Fear of Failure Is Often Fear of Judgment
"Most fear failure because of others' opinions."
What people hesitate over is rarely the act of failing itself but the perception of it. Concern for how failure is seen can overshadow the lessons it provides. Reframing mistakes as stepping stones rather than verdicts might make risk feel less intimidating.
7. Perfectionism Is a Form of Avoidance
"Perfect is the enemy of progress."
Delaying action in the pursuit of ‘getting it right’ is often just a refined version of fear. The longer something is refined, the harder it becomes to release. Perhaps letting go of the need for perfection in favour of steady movement allows more ideas to see the light.
Once hesitation is set aside, the next step is embracing bold action and trusting the process.
Taking Bold, Decisive Action
"The difference between those who make an impact and those who don’t is often the willingness to act before certainty arrives.”
Action fuels transformation, but not all action is created equal. Decisiveness, authenticity, and a willingness to move forward without external validation make the difference between progress and stagnation.
8. Confidence Follows Action, Not the Other Way Around
"Courage grows through action, not before it."
Boldness isn’t a prerequisite for action—it’s a byproduct of it. Those waiting to feel ready often find that readiness never arrives. Instead, progress builds confidence, and starting before certainty sets in may be the very thing that creates it.
9. A Single Choice Can Shift Everything
"One bold step changes everything."
While success often feels like a gradual process, certain moments of boldness can redefine an entire trajectory. Opportunities disguised as risks tend to shape futures more than the obvious ones do. Leaning into a pivotal choice could be the very thing that accelerates progress.
10. Playing It Safe Limits Growth
"Security can cost you progress."
The comfort of security can be deceiving, as it often comes at the cost of untapped potential. While avoiding risk feels logical, looking back, the biggest regrets tend to come from inaction rather than mistakes. Perhaps there’s more to gain from stretching beyond familiar ground.
Bold action needs to be maintained. To sustain momentum, one must ensure they don’t slip back into old habits of hesitation.
A Personal Reflection on My Experience with Seth’s Post
Once upon a time - Jo was a bit lost for words
Reading Seth’s post in 2013 resonated with me on a deeply personal level (and always will), particularly in connection to my experience in the campaign for the World Dragon Boat Championships in Racice/Prague in August 2009. In the wake of loss and uncertainty, when everything had slipped away, I found myself unexpectedly performing at my highest level—pulling off the best water trial of my career despite setbacks, illness, and self-doubt.
At a time when I thought the campaign was over, I somehow found clarity, not by force but by letting go—of expectations, of control, of the weight of past struggles. It was only when I stopped overthinking and simply showed up, unfiltered and fully present, that everything shifted. This was my own moment of highest leverage, one I didn’t fully grasp until much later.
Seth’s words became a powerful lens through which I viewed that experience. His message reinforced something I had felt but struggled to articulate: that when all seems lost, when hesitation or doubt looms, choosing to act with full authenticity can redefine the outcome.
Even years later, I find myself reflecting on his words, still working to fully internalise the idea of accepting the results of such moments, whether they bring triumph or challenge. Perhaps, as Seth suggests, the real lesson is not just in recognising or seizing these moments but in how we continue forward once they’ve passed.
Final Thought: The Power of Choosing Boldness
Leverage moments are not just about being in the right place at the right time—they are about being the right person, prepared to act.
The most defining moments aren’t always obvious, comfortable, or guaranteed—but they are almost always waiting to be seized.
Just beautiful Geoff - really enjoyed reading/watching this❣️