Imagine being struck with tragedy and heartbreak. Or imagine being stuck with COVID or cancer or some hideous disease. And then imagine that you somehow triumph over that struggle. You break through. You find success. And you overcome.
How invigorating would that feel? How stunning would that accomplishment be? It would feel like you’ve been given a new lease on life. A second chance. Another opportunity to give back and improve the world and simply enjoy yourself.
That’s what struggle does for us. That’s what challenges do. They may be painful at first. But at the end of the day, once you break through and beat it, you get a new feeling of motivation and invigoration.
And on a more subtle note, that’s what waking up should feel like. A new lease on life. A brand new day for you to attack and enjoy and pursue your goals and dreams. Every new day is a new lease on life.
And if we look at every new day from that perspective, it truly is a gift. The world is not destined to revolve every single day. One day, it will all come to a halt. The ozone layer will not keep us saturated forever. The sun will not be shining for all eternity. All these aspects of existence are temporary at best.
So, it’s best to appreciate them all with a sense of gratitude. A sense of well-being. A sense that we have a lot that could be just taken away from us at an instant. Yet, here we are with a sense of abundancy. And it feels great.
I’m not saying that life will be all cute puppies and lovely roses all the time. There will be times of strife and tragedy and toughness. But, it’s just that once we get through these struggles, it feels like a whole new world.
I’ve gone through my personal struggles too. Everyone goes thru their own journey. I used to suffer from social anxiety and a bout of awkwardness in social environments. And I still haven’t gotten 100% through that battle. But, it has been vastly improved over these years. And I can say that I look at every social encounter these days from a new lens. A lens of gratitude. A lens of feeling like I have a second chance at life.
This is just one example out of many. But when you have a struggle and ultimately beat it, it really gives you perspective. It’s not the end all be all. It doesn’t cure everything and it doesn’t bring lasting happiness. But, it can at least serve as a learning lesson for you to improve and appreciate what you’ve been given.
I used to go through some serious drama when I was in high school. I would form cliques with some of my friends, and we’d talk bad about other people that we disliked in school. It was draining. There was unnecessary back and forth. I lost some good friendships because of it. And nowadays, I’m happy to report that my life is fairly drama free. Most of my relationships are healthy and I find meaning in investing in them day in and day out.
I find that I am on relatively good terms with my parents too. And yes, we have our arguments here or there, but overall I am thankful to have a peaceful relationship with them. Those past bouts with drama in high school really made me think about my future relationships and how I want them to be. And it’s given me a sense of gratitude for the “mundane” back and forth I have with some of my friends. How there is no big drama. No woe-is-me attitude.
These are just some small examples of being given a second chance. Being given a learning opportunity for you to grasp and to improve upon as a person. That is the beauty of struggle. Of heartbreak. Of any type of hardship in general. Once you move to the other side of the mountain, you get a new lease on life and you get a chance to really make the most of it.
Life is all about second chances. And third chances. And fourth chances. And so on. And so on. We are given chance after chance every single day in our lives. From the moment we wake up. To the moment we go to sleep. Every day is an opportunity to make a difference. To give back to the community. To take care of your health. And to simply enjoy life.
Because we get only one life in this world. It is precious. And it is important to appreciate the gift that has been given to us by existence. And to continue to cherish it for as long as you can. Because most things in this world are temporary. So continue to count your blessings and be grateful for the limitless chances that you are given every day.