Did You Close the Door to an Opportunity?

As I traveled home the other evening, I marveled at the outcome of the day and reminded myself, as I have too many times, to never rush to judgment. So many times, I have come to repeat the following; you never know the look of a lousy cat, Never judge a book by its cover, never say never, and so many other phrases or maxims about closing doors even before ‘entering the space.’ Thar day was a strong reminder that the universe is generous and the goodness can be mine if I keep an open mind.

Despite a very busy and long day of meetings, I was rejuvenated and ecstatic at the end of the evening by the embrace of the leaders of the group. This last meeting ended at eight pm and the first meeting of the day started at 9 am. Yeah, long day but a very productive day. Don't get me wrong, I am used to long days, I'm flexible that way. I just like to choose to extended  my day. Besides, these evening meetings tend to be poorly attended and could go late into the night. These meetings have been know to go until 11pm. This is a set up for misery. I would rather be some place else.

This last meeting began at 6:30pm. Of course, this is the time when I should be home, relaxed, unfurl, doing my own thing. After the earlier meetings and following up on some other tasks, I begrudgingly went to the evening meeting. I have an affinity for some of the people that would be there so that softens my resolve.

At end of the meeting, I had a chance to greet some folks I haven’t seen in some time, got introduced to some new people and engaged in a most insightful and buoyant discussion with some key people of the group. Talk about food for thought! I did not expect that the meeting would have such a phenomenal ending.

We discussed the business, the opportunities and me in the larger context of the business. These folks were honest, generous and unbiased, well respected and deeply concerned for me. This discussion has given me clarity, perspective and new avenues to guide my thoughts and actions for future endeavors. I walked away thankful and feeling liberated. I felt so relieved and lithe; I could have danced all night. Now I will have to take some action steps to work on realizing the plan but I am grateful for the tutelage.

I am so honored and appreciative of their time, generosity, suggestions and acknowledgment. Again, a lesson for me to embrace each event as an opportunity to learn, to grow, to share and to be grateful. I have to remember to approach and consider every opportunity as a "context for connections."  I might be pleasantly surprised.

What are some of your maxims or phrases for pre-judging situations or people? Please share them.