You can't expect people to invite you into opportunities they don't know you're interested in.
We're a HUGE sports family. And for a while, attending a wheelchair basketball game had been on our bucket list. When searching last year, we found a program in Nashville through an organization called ABLE Youth, and they had a tournament in Nashville in February.
So I loaded up my two teenage daughters and off we went! We had a blast! (My daughter, Avery, now calls Westin the "Caitlin Clark of wheelchair basketball." She's a fan for life.)
Kendra Harris and other volunteers at AbleYouth's Will Bell Golf Classic at Franklin Bridge Golf Club in Franklin, Tennessee on September 25, 2026.
When I got home, I signed up for their newsletter to stay connected. That's how Amy Saffell, the Executive Director, ended up in my inbox! (Well, not actually HER... her email, but anyways...)
So I replied. I told her how much we'd enjoyed the tournament and that even though I live about 2.5 hours away, I'd love for her to keep me in mind if they ever needed a volunteer. She mentioned their biggest fundraiser of the year, the Will Bell Golf Classic. I said YES, put it on my calendar, and this fall, there I was in Nashville volunteering at the golf tournament!
I love supporting these kids and this organization. And as a mom, I love giving my own kids opportunities to experience a world beyond the one they know, meet people with different life experiences, and see things from perspectives they might never have considered otherwise.
But here's the part that can change YOUR life. None of this happened because I had a thought in my head about wanting to get involved. I went. Then I asked.
And it makes me wonder how many opportunities we miss in our businesses, our careers, and our personal lives simply because we never let anyone know we're interested.
How many experiences never happen because we're waiting for someone to invite us? How many doors stay closed because we never knock? We'll never know the answer to those questions. But what we can find the answer to is how many doors open when we speak up.
Speak up, friend. The world is full of unlimited experiences and possibilities for you, your family, and your business!
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