Don’t chase every opportunity. Chase the ones that would make you better even if they don’t pay off.

Most chances get judged purely on the reward, which only matters if things work out. A better filter is what the attempt leaves behind: a skill, a few new people, a clearer sense of what you are doing. Opportunities that improve you are worth taking at poor odds, because you keep the improvement either way. The ones that only pay if you win are a different sort of bet.

Before saying yes to the next thing, ask what you would still have if it went badly. If the answer is nothing, pass without guilt.