Just Ask.

This specific advice applies to everyone at all times, professionally and otherwise.

Let’s say you’re in a situation where you want a new opportunity (or anything, in fact) — say, a new project, a new role, a team under you, a move to another team, an investment for your startup, a change in location, whatever else — i.e. a situation practically applicable most times.

You have two options: 
Option 1: Don’t ask for what you want
Option 2: Ask for what you want

The outcomes are as follows:
Option 1: Nothing happens OR you get an opportunity someone else thinks is right for you.
Option 2: Nothing happens OR you get the best opportunity you possibly can, i.e. you control the outcome.

To deep-dive: 
Option 1: You’ll SAY a yes/no to incoming opportunities based on your basic criteria, and when an opportunity that comes by satisfies those criteria, you’ll take it.

Option 2: You’ll GET a yes/no to projects you want. Assuming you’ll always start with your highest priority ask, even if a “yes” is preceded by a string of “no”s, you’re sure you got the best option you possibly could.

So it’s Satisfactory option vs. Best option possible. So I suppose the answer is simple whenever you want a new opportunity:

Just Ask.