Seizing the Moment Defines Opportunity
Title: Seizing the Moment Defines Opportunity
Subtitle: null
Category: Life Reflections
Author: Han Shishan
Editor: Unnamed
Author's Affiliation: null
Art Director: Unnamed
Journal Number: 6
Keywords: null
Opportunity is this, opportunity is that. Yet my experience shows opportunity often hinges on a split-second thought. Opportunity is this, opportunity is that—how many profound words have opened minds?In my experience, opportunity often hinges on a split-second thought. Lean slightly one way, and it slips away; lean slightly the other, and it lands squarely in your arms. That thought must strike when you least expect it. If you grasp it with clear judgment, it's not opportunity—at best, it's luck, the kind you snatch the moment it arrives.In the spring of 1980, I had published several short stories. Though I was already in my thirties and enjoyed a modest literary reputation, I remained entirely unpretentious. Born in a small town and naturally insecure, I saw myself merely as an amateur writer, far below the caliber of the renowned young authors across the country. Then one day, I received a letter from the Chinese Writers' Association inviting me to attend a six-month literary workshop they were organizing.By then, I had been transferred to teach at a county middle school and had just brought my wife and two children from our hometown to live with me. After much deliberation, I decided it would be better not to go. Since it was a workshop, surely there would be subsequent sessions—couldn’t I attend the next one instead? So I wrote a letter, sealed it, and placed it on my desk, intending to mail it the next day.The next day was Sunday. After breakfast, a friend—also a literary enthusiast—came by. Being the only single person working here, he had nothing to do on Sundays and dropped in for a chat. My room had only one chair, so I offered it to him. As soon as he sat down, he spotted the letter on the desk and asked why I’d written to the Chinese Writers Association. I explained the situation. Upon hearing it, he exclaimed: "How could you not go?"