The First One Gets the Oyster

There is a wonderful simplicity in the saying “The first one gets the oyster.” It reminds us that opportunities rarely wait forever. Sometimes someone has to be prepared to move first, take the chance and discover what is waiting on the other side. We can spend an extraordinary amount of time waiting for the perfect moment. We wait until we feel more confident, until we have more experience, until circumstances are better or until somebody tells us that we are ready. But life doesn't always work that way.

Sometimes you become ready by taking the first step. Being first doesn't mean being reckless. It means recognising an opportunity and having the courage to do something about it rather than watching somebody else take it.

This matters because hesitation can become a habit. Every time we talk ourselves out of trying something, we make the next opportunity easier to ignore. Eventually, “I'll do it later” becomes a perfectly comfortable way of never doing it at all.

Positive thinking isn't about assuming that every opportunity will work out. Some won't. You may make the wrong decision, get rejected or discover that what looked like an opportunity wasn't right for you.

That doesn't make taking the chance a mistake. You are not broken because something didn't work. You are learning.

The important thing is to remain open to possibility and willing to act when something matters to you. You don't need to know exactly how everything will turn out before you begin.

Sometimes somebody has to go first. Sometimes that person is you. So stop waiting for permission. Stop waiting until you feel completely ready. See the opportunity. Take the chance. Make the first move. Because sometimes the first one really does get the oyster.