Written by Anhayla Stanley

We all are given opportunities in life. Now whether that opportunity is something you want is another question. In some cases, maybe we are given too many opportunities. Maybe we have become spoiled and take for granted that we have choices.

Do you believe in second chances?

Maybe you made a mistake and you feel like what you did ruined your whole life. Maybe you dropped out of school or maybe you had a baby ten years too early. Maybe nothing is “wrong” but you’re just unhappy with the life you have now. What if I told you there are always second chances? Would you believe me?

Second chances are all around us, however, we have been programed to ignore them and do the norm. Sometimes you have to step outside of your comfort zone in order to receive a second chance.

Today, consider all the opportunities that you have been given. The things you wanted to do but didn’t because of your certain situation. Today, take a chance and do something out of the ordinary.

Reach for your second chance and take it. Opportunities are everywhere around you. When you go to the store, when you go to work, or when you go to a party.

Second chances are people.

We’ve been trained to think so selfishly that we are unaware that people bring new opportunities.

Oh, and I’m not talking about people like Oprah, Bill Gates, or Beyonce. I’m talking about the regular people that you overlook each day.

The person you stand beside in the elevator and say nothing to.

The person that you open the door for.

The person that stands in front of you when you’re about to check out in the grocery store or the homeless person outside tucked inside of a blanket.

These moments are your opportunity to touch someone else’s life and send positive energy throughout this world.

Take advantage of the gift of fellowship and the gift to not be alone. So many people go home each night to no one except maybe a pet and are so lonely inside. They sit and wonder, “What’s wrong with me?” or “Why am I alone?” No one has to be alone in this world. Being alone is a choice.

Enjoy your family.

Call a relative you haven’t spoken to in a while and just say “I love you”. Spend time with your friends, be a mentor to a child who has no one, befriend a homeless person and buy him or her dinner. Do the unexpected.

We always remember certain moments in our lives and they usually involve people. The moment when you left your phone on a table in a restaurant and some stranger ran outside to give it to you or the moment when you met your best friend randomly at some event.

Make each moment count by making each person you come in to contact notice you. Make the most out of every encounter and start thinking about other people instead of just yourself.

There is more to life than money and material possessions. Your true wealth is in your relationship with God, your family and the people you encounter daily. 

Opportunities and doors will start to open when you open your heart and share it those around you.