Published February 20, 2021 · 7 min read

Itʼs been a while and I havenʼt posted anything new on my blog. Life, work, and priorities often got in the way, but the urge to write never really went away. Itʼs time to get back to writing. Not because I have to, but because I miss the process of thinking through words that quiet dialogue between thought and page.

I actually want to post more frequently than I do. Every time I write something, I’m reminded how ideas crystallize only once they’re written down. The title is really on spot for my blogging, too. Missed Opportunities doesn’t just fit the topic, it fits me. We will get back to that real soon.

Moving off, I believe many of us in software development had different opportunities to do projects, activities, training, and events. Some of them slipped by quietly; others faded because of hesitation, timing, or fear. A significant portion of us had good ideas but never had the chance to execute them. Or perhaps we never made that chance ourselves.

Perhaps, they didnʼt want it as much so they didnʼt create the chance to execute it. Or, even worse, they didnʼt execute it well. So, they ended up in some sort of mediocre position for that very thing. I believe it takes a good amount of dedication to strive for success in any opportunity. Talent and timing matter, but consistency is the multiplier.

In this post, I want to go through some of my personal missed opportunities. Not as regrets but really as good reminders. Each one taught me something about belief, luck, and commitment.

Missed Opportunities

1. The First Missed Post

I started my blog in 2008. Back then, the internet still felt smaller. More personal, more curious. There wasnʼt a gazillion of material we have now on every topic. Following some good blogs has been a good source of information and ideas. Each post felt like a conversation, not content.

I obviously didnʼt have as much experience as I do now. But that shouldn’t have mattered. I was learning new ideas every week. If I blogged about each idea I learned, I would have so many more posts. Imagine documenting each spark, each small realization. Over time, they’d form a map of growth.

If I posted weekly, I would end up with 52 * 13 = 676 posts as opposed to ~100 posts. That’s a staggering difference. It is not just in quantity, but in who I might have become through the habit. The other interesting aspect is that the more you write, the better you get at it. Writing sharpens thought the way lifting builds muscle.

At first, the posts might not have been catchy but they might get better in time. Every draft is a brick and the wall doesn’t build itself. I missed two opportunities. One, I might have become a recognized blogger in tech. Two, I could have improved my writing skills. Both required the same thing I lacked back then discipline. The latter is very important for day-to-day jobs. The ability to write clearly often translates into the ability to think clearly.

The dedication was the key. And still is.

2. When Belief Was Missing

When I was in college, it wasnʼt as easy to find internships or companies to find interns. There was a list of suggested companies to apply for internships. It was rather a manual process. Spreadsheets, paper forms, word of mouth. Everything moved slowly.

Thus, we had an idea to establish a website to find interns for companies. Interns would create profiles and companies would find interns from the website. Basically, an early version of what LinkedIn or AngelList later became. We didn’t realize how close we were to something big.

We implemented this idea, presented it to a couple of companies. We actually got some positive feedback. We even had a pretty cool domain name. The prototype worked. The concept made sense. The door was slightly open. We just didn’t walk through it.

We literally stopped there. We didnʼt push the idea since we didnʼt believe in it so much. We assumed someone else would do it better, or that it wasn’t “good enough.” But ideas die the moment belief fades. Believing was the key. Looking back, I realize it wasn’t the lack of opportunity that stopped us. It was the lack of conviction.

3. When Luck Ran Out

We worked with a local businessman to create a platform where wholesales would take place. Think of it as an early digital marketplace. A place where supply chains could finally meet online. The platform didnʼt get traction initially but then it got attention. It was solving a unique problem and potential transactions were huge. For a brief moment, it felt like standing at the edge of something transformative.

If we somehow get a small percentage of it, we would still make a great profit. And, people started using it; though, we needed investment. Growth was possible, but we were undercapitalized. A common story for first-time founders. We presented the idea to some investors. They were very interested.

Nevertheless, our boss at the time didnʼt want to sell some portion of his shares. We tried to convince him but it didnʼt work out. It stopped there. One decision, one hesitation, and the momentum was gone. We stopped working on it. End of the story.

We werenʼt lucky. Luck was the key. But luck, I’ve learned, rarely visits the unprepared. Sometimes it’s not luck that fails us. It’s our readiness to seize it.

4. Lessons From the Missed

Missed opportunities have different causes. Some stem from fear, some from fatigue, and others simply from timing. Itʼs really hard to foresee potential outcomes. Even the best ideas can fade if the moment passes before we act.

More importantly, things have changed. Nowadays, even if I have an idea, it takes so much effort to do so. Iʼve many other responsibilities. The older we get, the heavier the trade-offs become. Time, family, stability, mortgage. Earlier it was much easier to start and execute. Now, Iʼve to think about how to pay the mortgage, etc.

It's also comfortable to work for a bigger company. Comfort gives you security but slowly dulls the hunger that once pushed you to take risks. Nevertheless, I think smaller initiatives are still possible. They just require intentional energy. These are the kinds that don't wait for inspiration to strike.

Some opportunities donʼt need so much effort like blogging. Sometimes the smallest creative acts such as a short post, a shared thought can reignite momentum. When it comes to big pushes, I still believe itʼs doable but it requires sacrifices. Every pursuit has its cost; the question is no longer “Can I?” but “Am I willing?” In the end, what matters is not how many opportunities we’ve missed, but how many we still choose to create.

Closing Thoughts

Every missed opportunity carries a quiet lesson. It’s not about failure, but about attention. The more I look back, the clearer it becomes that most doors weren’t locked; I just didn’t turn the handle. So if you’ve been sitting on an idea, a post, or a project. Start small, start messy, but start. Momentum has a way of rewarding courage.