When Opportunity Comes Knocking, Will You Recognize It?
Time Doesn’t Close Doors. We Do.
Time Doesn’t Close Doors. We Do.
We often say that we lost out on our dreams because we lost time.
Actually, no.
Time does not close the door to our dreams or the pathway to them. We do that to ourselves.
We do it every time we whisper to ourselves, “I will start tomorrow. Maybe another day. When the kids move out. When the kids graduate. When the kids have their own kids.” And so on, until we run out of excuses.
At some point, we must face the truth: it’s not time shutting doors on us—it’s us.
So, let’s accept that and put away the bad energy of blame. Instead, let’s reimagine our lives with our dreams in them, in bold, living color.
Why Do We Close the Door?
There’s a story we tell ourselves about time. That it moves forward, locking doors behind us, sealing off opportunities we didn’t take. That once a moment has passed, it’s gone forever.
But here’s the truth: time doesn’t close doors. We do.
We tell ourselves it’s too late. That we should have started earlier. That the window has shut, the dream has passed, and we are simply left with the life we have now.
But if we listen closely—beneath the noise, beyond the doubts—there’s a voice inside us that still whispers, What if?
It’s not time that tells us we can’t have the things we long for—it’s us. We close the door because of:
Fear of failure. What if I try and I’m terrible at it? What if I embarrass myself? What if I let myself down?
Fear of success. What if I actually succeed? What if it changes things? What if I can’t keep up with it?
Conditioning. Who am I to dream big at this stage of life? Isn’t it time to settle?
Exhaustion. We’ve carried so much, survived so much. The thought of trying again feels too heavy.
And so, we close the door. We pretend it’s not there. We tell ourselves the dream has died, when in reality, we just stopped knocking.
My Story: The Art Students League of NYC
Years ago, I thought the door to my artistic dreams had closed. Life had happened—responsibilities, obligations, and all the reasons I told myself it wasn’t the right time. But then, something changed.
I found myself at the Art Students League of NYC, surrounded by artists, creativity, and a world I thought I had lost forever. It was intimidating, exhilarating, and completely unexpected. I walked through that door—one I had assumed was shut for good—and I realized something profound:
The door had never been closed. I had just stopped trying the handle.
That experience changed me. It reminded me that dreams don’t have an expiration date. We just convince ourselves that they do.
What If You Reopened It?
Imagine standing in front of that door again. Just for a moment. Imagine cracking it open, peeking inside.
What if the dream didn’t disappear? What if it was simply waiting for you to return? What if everything you thought was lost was still right there, ready when you are?
Reopening the door doesn’t mean you have to barge through it all at once. It doesn’t mean quitting your job or upending your life overnight. It means giving yourself permission to be curious again.
Maybe you sketch again, just for fun. Maybe you start writing that book, one paragraph at a time. Maybe you dust off your camera, or your running shoes, or the dream that once set your soul on fire.
Because the dream isn’t gone. It never was.
One Question for You
If you could unlock just one door you thought was closed forever… what would it be?
Ready to Start?
If this stirred something inside you, that’s not an accident. That’s your dream knocking—again.
You don’t have to figure it all out alone. The ReClaiming Dreams Workbook will take you step by step through reopening that door and finally stepping inside. No more waiting. No more wondering. Just action.
Ready?
You are so good at this Monica! I love your writing! Yes, I am not just ready, I am about to submit my application to the program I set out to do. Let’s see! I can’t believe how God would kindle a fire within me after I stepped out from church and then use Substack to flame it into existence!
As I was reading I also remembered something I always wondered about! That if it is in your destiny to go through this path, no matter how many doors you close, you’re only just delaying it, it won’t go away until you are ready to take it up some day!