Do You Believe in Second Chances?
I found myself crying a lot this past weekend.
Not sobbing; but just a lot of moments filled with tears. Luckily the sun was shining and my sunglasses hid the water that was welling up in my eyes.
Now, you're probably wondering WHY I was crying...and funny enough, it was over a book.
Ha, I just laughed at what I wrote.
But when I sit back and reflect on this book and where I am in my life, I understand why pages filled with words have the ability to evoke such deep emotion from within.
For anyone looking for a bit of clarity, or something to relate to as they go through a difficult transition in their life, I'd highly recommend this book.
THE BOOK: LIFE’S GOLDEN TICKET BY BRENDON BURCHARD
Yes, Brendon is a high-performance coach and one of the most sought-after teachers in the personal development field. But unlike a lot of personal development books, this one doesn't "tell" you how to live your life or slap you in the face for not living up to your own potential.
Instead, Brendon guides us on a journey of self-discovery and understanding by using an extremely relatable character who is going through a tough time in his own life. By building a story around a fictional character, he's able to demonstrate that if you are open to and accepting of new opportunities - even if they are completely outside of your comfort zone- then amazing things are on the horizon.
THE CHARACTER MUST CONFRONT THE FOLLOWING
Fears
This is a hard one for most to swallow because fears are things we can't see; but they can often be so strong that they consume our every thought, dream, and desire. The funny thing about fear is that everything you've ever wanted is on the other side.
Here's a challenge - think of one fear that you have right now. Don't take the biggest, pick something small. Now I want you to challenge that fear and conquer it within the next 24 hours and come back and leave a comment on the blog. Tell me what your fear was, how you overcame it and how you felt afterward. I guarantee you will feel a sense of freedom and release. It's highly probable that you'll laugh at yourself for being fearful of that thing in the first place.
Hurtful relationships
I just read an Instagram post today that said: "Hurt people hurt people, healed people heal people." And if we're honest with ourselves, we all have had those negative relationships come into our lives at some point or another. Maybe they were there from day 1. Sometimes they are family members and those ones are harder to avoid. Sometimes they come into our lives uninvited- or so we think.
The thing with 'negative' relationships, or people who have hurt us in some way, they're often put in our lives to teach us a bigger lesson. If we can recognize these toxic energies that are following us around, then we are better equipped to deal with them and recognize our worth. Push away their hurtful words, because it's often their own fears being projected onto you. Refuse to be bullied and figure out how you can be the bigger person. Don't use anger; but rather compassion. The bottom line: you don't have to accept their snowballs, but you shouldn't be dodging them either. Be present. Stand in your true form and kill them with kindness while walking away.
Failure
Failure is a funny word. It's gotten a bad rap in society these days and yet it's our greatest teacher. Sara Blakeley, the Founder and CEO of Spanx, recently posted a video interview of her talking about how her dad would make all her siblings and her tell him their failures every night at the dinner table and he would congratulate them on failing.
For many, this might seem strange. But as Sara explains, this taught her to re-frame the meaning of the word, failure, and look at it as a teaching experience and a chance to learn how to be better the next time. She wasn't scared of failing anymore and actually embraced the opportunity to fail because it made her stronger and wiser. And oftentimes, even more compassionate to herself and those around her.
Loss
It's a shitty one to embrace. But without loss, we would never know gratitude. In Brendon's book, the main character was struggling, even as an adult, with the sudden loss of his mother when he was 17. She was his rock, his biggest supporter, and the one who loved him unconditionally. When she was gone, he forgot all the good things she had told him and instead allowed the negativity to take over.
Loss can do that to us. It can pull us into a deep hole of pain and suffering. It can make us forget all the beauty that surrounds us on the daily and it can even make us forget who we are or want to be. But if you can recognize the sadness and pain within, then you are one step closer to moving in a direction of acceptance and understanding. Loss is a part of life, and that fact is never going away. People and things will come in and out of our lives on a daily, weekly, and yearly; but it's how we ultimately deal with the loss that will shape our future behavior and actions.
In summary, the book takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery and reflection.
Questioning things like - Am I living my best life? Am I following my dreams or someone else's? Am I giving to others? Am I loving to those who love me back? How can I be a better person?
If you are going through a transitional period in your life where the questions listed above, draw out more questions, then I suggest you buy the book ( Disclaimer: I am not an affiliate, just a fan of the book) and even consider getting a journal to start writing out your own thoughts and life questions. You never know what might transpire and the answers that could 'miraculously' come to the forefront of your mind.
Miracles happen every day. Why not for you?
In love and kindness,
Andrea