We are all creatures of redemption if we seek it.
The very idea of a second chance is terrifying- an institution filled with regret and looking onto the hope of a better future so as to nullify a pathetic past. In the whole gratifying glory of it, second chances are easier to come by, when it’s on behalf of your erratic love escapades or your mom trusting you with carrying another container to school after you lost her precious Tupperware.
But- When was the last time you gave yourself a second chance?
Imagine for a moment. You take up some sort of dance class- say salsa. You get up every day; you practice, and you fail miserably until eventually, you decide that maybe ‘it’s not for you’. Just hold on to that thought while imagining a toddler you, learning how to walk. Even after making a complete fool out of yourself and falling, multiple times- if I may say so, you never gave up until you were able to reach across the room and swat that thing that motivated you in the first place.
Here, the object of your motivation needs to be you, giving yourself another chance, a second chance.
This, however, doesn’t mean that you will always master a dance class if you take it up religiously with vigor. The focus here is to find your rhythm, your pace.
We talk about forgiveness all the time as a test of morality but we often fail to practice that grace and mercy on ourselves. It’s hard to accept that you’ve made a mistake; it’s harder to learn and deal with the consequences of the mistake. But the hardest? The hardest is to have the guts of making that same mistake, over and over again, and trusting yourself to let it go.
One thing I’ve always believed in is that you are the architect of your own destruction because you are the creator of your own destiny.
Why is it so easy for us to forgive others but not ourselves? Why are we better at giving other people an alternative chance to fulfill a promise they made but when it comes to us, we give up on the whole ordeal! “Hal Elrod” once famously quoted- “Give up being perfect for being authentic”.
Give yourself a second chance, hell- several chances, before anyone else does. You owe it to yourself.
And as for me? I already gave myself a second chance with the creation of this blog. Writing has always been something very personal to me, something which I see more than just an outlet of creativity and opinions but also as a place of peace, quiet, and comfort. After abandoning several projects mid-way, be it because of my millennial commitment issue or the thought of being the subject under scrutiny, today I stand on the ground of self-acceptance.
Here, I will bleed with my words, wander through wounds- for more tangible content stay tuned!
(giving myself a second chance for making that rhyme…)