Second Chance

22nd May 2021

The crowd was cheering. The tension of expectation was palpable. There had been a clear winner for the agility class competition until now. The hot favourite made good time and cleared all the obstacles with ease. Trouble was running as fast as he could, balancing on the beam, jumping over the winged fence, and making a beeline for the finish line. If he ran all out, there was a chance that he might win.

Suddenly, a shot rang out, distracting him. A farmer nearby saw a fox harassing his sheep and attempted to scare him off with a blast from his shotgun. Unfortunately, this distracted Trouble who went off course to look for the source of the gunshot. The crowd groaned and his handler shouted to him in despair and in vain. He did not complete the race.

The judges convened and decided as the gunshot was unexpected and unprecedented, Trouble was allowed to run the course again. He was given a second chance to perform and show what he is made out of.

Has life ever given you a second chance? Perhaps it was for your studies, your projects, your job, or your relationships? Sometimes, with all your best intentions and effort, you fail to obtain the results you want or desire. Unexpectedly, life gives you another go, another try. You are pleasantly surprised at your luck and you go for it. And sometimes, you succeed. Maybe it was something in your job that you messed up really badly. You thought you would be fired from it but instead, your supervisor gave you another chance to show them your worth. Maybe it was a friend you let down and instead of berating you, he showed you faith and believed that you were better than your actions. Perhaps it was your son who forgave you for missing his football match and allowed you to make it up by spending more quality time in other ways with him. Either way, life gave you a second chance to do it again.

It is so important to embrace second chances. You should not expect it from others or life but when it happens, be sure to not only accept them but maximise the opportunity to possibly even improve the results you originally expected or desired. Be sure to allow yourself to have that second chance. Many people are offered second chances but chose not to take them. Some may feel too ‘noble’ (or simply too proud) to accept them. Others may feel like they do not deserve them.

We all deserve second chances. Life is not perfect and neither are we. The natural state of life is in abundance, not scarcity. If the first go does not work, try again. Maintain healthy self-esteem and know that sometimes (or in fact, many times), you have to do something again and again before you get it right. Sometimes you may not be given the chance to try again but if you are, be sure to go for it with gusto and energy as though doing it the first time. You deserve a second chance and it takes healthy self-esteem to stay humble, not proud, and know that getting it wrong the first time round is normal and allow yourself the second chance when presented. Self-esteem requires courage.

Conversely, we should be actively be giving others second chances too. This does not mean lowering your standards, getting yourself into trouble, or allowing others to hurt you. This requires the strength to forgive, the acceptance of abundance, and appreciating having second chances such that you want to pass on the spirit of giving others what you found helpful. When someone wrongs you, strive to possess the amplitude and strength to understand that person probably meant no harm (and in fact, acting with the best intentions) and was only capable of behaving the best to his current knowledge and understanding of himself and life. It was not personal. It becomes personal when you make it personal. Remember that the experience you give to the event is the event itself.

Be generous with your understanding, fortitude, compassion, and forgiveness. The more you give, the more you receive. Overfill your soul with abundance, Nature’s Way. By giving second chances to others, you will subconsciously be attracting second chances yourself. Learning to give second chances is like training a muscle. Over time, you will begin to see the good in others more than the flaws and in doing so, you will also get better at seeing the good in yourself more than your flaws. You will be grateful for the mistakes you made at your first attempt for it gave you a better understanding of having second chances. You will be appreciative of others not getting it right initially as it gave you the opportunity to present second chances for them.

Life can be tough. We all deserve a break from time to time. When presented, be sure to take it with gratitude and healthy self-esteem that says, “I am worth it!”. Remember to pay it back to others by giving them second chances when required too.

Trouble was given a second chance to compete again. Are you able to embrace and also provide second chances?

‘Sometimes life gives you a second chance because just maybe the first time you were just not ready.’

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