We often get paralyzed in the concept of is this right? Should I wait? Is there anything better? Should I settle? How do I know if I am?
Chances are often given to us without much warning. Sometimes we’ve worked extremely hard to get to where we are. The blood, sweat, and tears turn into the golden moment we’ve been reaching for. We beam with pride, feeling as if we earned it. Sometimes, the chances are unexpected. Perhaps we were simply in the right place at the right time. Maybe a door opened to something we never honestly thought would be available to us. We are allowed to move towards something that could be great for us, and we are excited but uncertain if we should jump at the chance to take something we didn’t fight for every minute of the day. We recognize our luck. We question if it’s enough, or if we are allowed to take the moment and move forward without hesitation.
Regardless of either path that we are given, there are always the moments after that continue to keep us still. We fear we’ll screw things up. That we aren’t truly cut out for the chance after all. That perhaps we didn’t try hard enough to get here. That regardless of who we are or what we’ve done, there is still more we could’ve done to prepare.
And while we’re standing in this paradox of whether we deserve the chance or are ready for it, time slips between our fingers without pausing. The spotlight on us becomes dimmer, and not because we aren’t worth it- but because we aren’t doing anything with it. We blink. Suddenly, that opportunity has shifted away from us, moving towards someone with another set of hands waiting for the chance to hold it.
It makes sense, doesn’t it? If we sit back and think about it, how often do we actually have opportunities to let them slide away because we believe we could never deserve them? How often do we feel accomplished in receiving a chance, but then freeze once it’s given to us to mold and shape into what could be our destiny? Or at least the path we want to be on right now?
We know the difference between getting a chance because of being underhanded, sneaky, or dishonest. We know those moments aren’t truly meant for us or not in the ways we want them to be. We know that in some cases, we are given chances based on unfair or downright unacceptable things. We know these aren’t random “chances” life hands us, but a way to cheat ourselves into believing a fallacy of who we are. This isn’t about whether to take an opportunity that you were given based on dishonest reasoning or systems put in place to provide you with an advantage that you didn’t really earn.
This is about the moments in life where we are given something, and we decide that we aren’t capable or we aren’t enough to accept it. The ones you want to believe that something wonderful is happening for you, but you just feel too unsure of yourself to think you could really achieve anything, even when the universe seems to bring the perfect opening your way.
If there is one thing we have learned about life, is that it isn’t always fair. People get away with things they shouldn’t. Disasters show up that no one anticipated. Seemingly unbreakable bonds shatter without a moment’s notice. When something like this happens, we know we don’t have much of a choice in the outcomes. It’s possible that even if we try our hardest, things won’t play out in our favor. All we can do is take what we have and try to make the best out of circumstances, whether we were ready for them or not.
What if we did something similar when great things show up in our life? Instead of questioning if we deserve it or standing still worrying that we will mess things up if we realize that right now, we’ve been given a chance. Our only job is to do the best we can with it. That all we can do is make the most of it.
Is it possible that we make mistakes along the way? Absolutely. Could you find later that you want to go after something different? Sure. Yet there is only one thing for certain- if you don’t take the opportunity you’ve been given and actually try to do something with it, nothing will happen. You will make the mistake of letting something escape you because you were too terrified to do something.
Because who knows what could happen if you stop doubting yourself so much and lean into this? Who knows where it could lead? Perhaps it opens doors to something better later- maybe you discover your passion by merely taking a chance.
There are some things you should listen to- things like if your gut instinct tells you this is a wrong move, or if you know you’re walking into something that will only make you miserable. If you’re reluctantly embracing an opportunity because someone else really wants you to, or if it fulfills someone else’s dream idea, then you know that this isn’t something to move towards. You see the difference between debating something you genuinely want but are unsure you would do well in, and discussing whether to do something you know won’t make you happy simply to paint a picture of the person others think you should be.
When it comes to the moments where you know you want something or know something that could be great for you, but you hesitate because you’re afraid you’ll fail? Or that you aren’t worthy? These are the times you need to open your hands and trust that if you’re given this moment, the best thing you can do is do something with it to the best of your ability. You may not believe you’re ready for it, but perhaps where you are in life is precisely what is needed to do this. A sense of humility isn’t the worst thing in the world, and while you’re sitting there thinking someone else would do things better, maybe the world doesn’t need their perspective right now. It needs yours.
So the next time you are presented with a chance that you want or need, don’t dig your heels in and worry about whether this is the right moment for you. Recognize that this is your moment, whether you planned for it or you didn’t.
The only question is: what are you going to do with it?
