“I could’ve bought that building 5 years ago for $70,000. It’s worth half a million now.”

“I could’ve been his partner in that business. He’s worth a fortune now.”

“I could’ve…”

This went on all day.

My host believed I would be impressed that he was “connected” and “in the know,” but the only thing I was hearing was his sad admission, “I don’t know when to pounce.”

He had no sense of Kairos (KYE-ross.) All this happened 20 years ago. (Chronos)

Kairos and Chronos are ancient Greek words for two different kinds of time.

Chronos is sequential, linear time. The time of stopwatches, clocks and calendars. The time of step-by-step thinking and planning. The time of Newtonian physics.

Kairos is the fullness of time, the perfect moment for action. That action might be a kiss, a word of encouragement, a leap of faith or the perfect storm. Kairos is when it all comes together. Kairos is the witching hour. It demands poise and intuition and responsiveness.

Chronos is quantitative, a sequence of moments, step-by-step.

Kairos is qualitative, the appointed time, “now or never.”

If you see Kairos in hindsight, you’re qualified to write blog posts, news stories, diary entries and history books. But if you want to break away from the pack and be successful, you must not only witness Kairos, but grab hold of it with both hands and feet and ride it to where it will take you.

Knowing how to pounce is a mechanical action that is easily learned. Knowing when to pounce requires that you be attuned to Kairos, the moment of opportunity.

If making a fortune was a step-by-step process, we’d all be rich. But it takes more than Chronos to rise above your circumstances. Success requires a sense of Kairos, knowing when to pounce.

And then it takes the courage.

Go get’em, tiger.

Roy H. Williams