HOW MANY SECOND CHANCES DO YOU HAVE UNTIL THAT CHANCE IS YOUR LAST CHANCE?

They say as long as you have breath in your lungs, you will always have a second chance to reclaim or change your life. But then again, that second chance will come when you change your perspective on how you live your life and do not give up on yourself. I was asked today why people choose to live in poverty when they don’t have to. I have to say that we are caught up in the circumstance that they are facing. We try to survive living day by day and check by check, hoping that one day we get lucky. The majority time lucky with the lotto tickets that we buy. Sometimes, we stay in the projects because we know what we can afford. We settle because you know they are people out there that have less than you. We don’t have faith, so we stay put. Having faith that things will work out means taking risks. Sometimes taking risks brings on a fear that keeps you stagnant in your comfortability.

Lorraine Hansberry states, “There is always something left to love. And if you ain’t learned that, you ain’t learned nothing.” The problem will humanity is that you have to love yourself enough to want more for yourself, to have faith that is not the end, and this is just a pitstop. We cannot get past the hurt, the anger, and our status. We cannot get past what we do not have, so we make choices we believe is the right choice, but all it does is set a path to another choice, another choice, and another choice that we believe is the right choice, but it’s a choice that set bars in front of us and digs wholes six feet deep.

We block ourselves to a better future by not showing up for ourselves. We consume what everybody else thinks of us, and we plant it in our heads and dissect it repeatedly until we believe it. But we need to look at things from an omniscient point of view.

• Be okay with knowing you are going through this struggle because you need to learn something.
• Sometimes the situation is less about you and more about the people around you. The turn of events that about to occur that you are presently unaware of.
• Be okay with answering the stuff questions. How much do you dislike your life? Do you dislike your life enough to change, to move in a positive direction?

Sometimes it is the little things that interconnect us toward the big picture. Saying no to the liquor bottle you too often sit in drown your sorrows in. Filing out that application for a better job. Applying to update your skills to be qualified for that job you want. Spending quality time with your family.

Sometimes, that tiny movement you make sets you on the path toward the life you want because you understand that you are worth it and find a way to find your joy in the mix of the chaos life brings.

Think about it?

It’s almost the first of the month, have you paid your rent? Have you collected your mail from the mailbox? Every time you open your mailbox, the bills open their arms to you like it’s your best friend. Some of us let it set in there for a couple of days, hoping and wishing it would disappear. Sorry, It’s still in there. These bills, your frustrations, the people you meet, your enemies, and your happy moments are lessons for you to choose in your being.

We get so caught up in our emotions, trying to cover up the pain, that we don’t deal with it. We place a band-aid on it and keep pushing without returning to check if the wound is infected. Those bad feelings can fester into your body, change your attitude, and make you sick.

It is why we have to choose happiness in our life. We choose to stand on the line at the apple or sneaker store to get the jordans, and why not choose to experience joy. We need to analyze our behaviors and acknowledge what we sacrifice unknowingly in times of frustration. Are we paying attention?

We need to choose happiness. Choose Joy.

• Find laughable moments to ease the pain and ease your mind. We tend to over-analyze what is going on in our heads, and all we need to do is take a break from thinking.
• Find joy in everything you can do. Create your bucket list of free or low price things that you can do. Take a vacation or watch a movie by yourself. Settling in your misery will bring more misery. Don’t settle!
• Find your joy in moving on by seeking the adventure that lies in the unknown. Change your mindset. The road might be scary, but it will be pleasurable as well.
• Too much, our joy tends to involve everybody else but ourselves. Find your joy in the love of yourself.

Your second chance is finding love in the series of your actions. It is essential to show up for yourself, not only during the holidays, anniversaries, birthdays, or special moments. Show up during the in-between moments when all you have is suffocating memories and thoughts.