I’ve written here often that the students who will be most successful during and after college are those who make the most of the opportunities available to them. That’s why a high school student who already demonstrates the skill will almost always impress colleges.

Capitalizing on an opportunity is a learned skill—not everyone is good at it, but anybody can learn to be better. In fact, to make the most of an opportunity, you’ll need to do two separate but equally important things.

1. Recognize it.
You can’t make the most of an opportunity if you don’t spot it. And an easy way to miss yours is to mistakenly believe that an opportunity must be perfect. An opportunity is a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something. Maybe that something is exactly what you’ve been looking for, but more often than not, it isn’t.  Instead, it’s the chance to take a step closer to where you want to go. You might make the team but not the starting lineup. You might get your favorite teacher, but not in the class you wanted. You might be cast in the school play, but not in the part you’d hoped for. Those could still be opportunities to learn, to work hard, to improve, and maybe to work your way up and get exactly what you want next time. Be on the lookout for those circumstances that will let you do something close to what you want, even if it’s not exactly what you wanted.

2. Capitalize on it.
There’s no magic checklist of things to do to make the most of a set of favorable circumstances (though bringing your best work ethic, attitude, and character is a great strategy). But you can start by recognizing that it’s almost certainly finite. How many practices will you get with the varsity team? How many class sessions will you have with your favorite teacher? How many play rehearsals, published issues of the paper, or hours at your part-time job will you have before time or circumstances leave the opportunity behind you? This chance won’t last forever.  And if you approach each opportunity with the acknowledgement that it isn’t permanent, that someday, maybe even sooner than you’d like, it will be over, you’ll give more to—and take more from—your chance to do something.