This week, I was looking for a poem that was more direct, something with a clear, motivational message that could be easily absorbed. “Opportunity” by Berton Braley certainly fit that brief, but, as is often the case with poetry, its meaning revealed itself to be far deeper than I initially thought.

Berton Braley

Opportunity

With doubt and dismay you are smitten
You think there's no chance for you, son?
Why, the best books haven't been written
The best race hasn't been run,
The best score hasn't been made yet,
The best song hasn't been sung,
The best tune hasn't been played yet,
Cheer up, for the world is young!

No chance? Why the world is just eager
For things that you ought to create
Its store of true wealth is still meagre
Its needs are incessant and great,
It yearns for more power and beauty
More laughter and love and romance,
More loyalty, labor and duty,
No chance- why there's nothing but chance!

For the best verse hasn't been rhymed yet,
The best house hasn't been planned,
The highest peak hasn't been climbed yet,
The mightiest rivers aren't spanned,
Don't worry and fret, faint hearted,
The chances have just begun,
For the Best jobs haven't been started,
The Best work hasn't been done.

On first reading, this poem feels like a much-needed pep talk. A reminder that it is never too late, that no one is ever too old, and that the world remains full of opportunity. But after sitting with it for a while, I realised the poem is really about abundance. There are no true limits on what we can create or who we can become. The universe itself does not impose boundaries, the restraints come from within us.

This idea translates to yoga, where the practice is often less about achieving something dramatic and more about undoing the restrictions we place on ourselves. In yoga, people quickly discover that progress is rarely blocked by the body alone. More often, it is hesitation, self-consciousness, comparison, or the fear of what will happen if we relinquish control.

There is comfort in staying within the version of ourselves we already know, even if it keeps us small. Braley is encouraging us to push against that instinct, asking us to be brave enough to step into uncertainty and begin to trust in the abundance of what might still be possible.