7 years ago today, I took the first of many chances.
Chances– 7 letters spell the outline of what your life could be. I’ve had to figure out how to spell it for my world. Here’s what 7 years and 7 letters have taught me:
C– Change– This has been the most challenging aspect for me. The decision to change comes first. The struggle to keep it stays the whole time.
H– Help– Helping myself became the key to helping anyone else. After realizing the difference between doing it selfishly and doing it productively, it has become one of my most valuable resources. It is often the first word of advice I share with anyone struggling through a personal transformation. Breathe in your own oxygen first in order to share your energy with others.
A– Ambition– Setting goals can be overwhelming. If you’re anything like me, you’re totally not OK with waiting for them. This is where the smallest goals are the biggest. I’ve found that setting small, seemingly mundane goals throughout my day or week has been the only way to keep the long-term ones from burning up in a cloud of flames..
N– New– We have all heard about the days being new and how we’re supposed to magically forget our troubles along with the last one. Here’s what I’ve learned in 7 years of trying to convince myself that it’s possible. It isn’t. New, to me, means accepting new perspectives from wherever they show. New means appreciating a pair of thrift store jeans you couldn’t ever wear before because there weren’t many size 28 Talls around. New, to me, means looking back and finding the experiences of yesterday becoming an avenue for tomorrow.
C– Challenge– Challenge comes in many forms. One of my favorite and most loathed- Running. I love it. I despise it. It’s agony some days and pure bliss through others. It’s a challenge and it’s ever-changing.
E– Experience– We all have it. How do we share it? The point is- We get to. My scars tell mine quite literally. My Frankenbody is the paper and I am the pen.
S– Silent Stories– 7 years of transforming physically, mentally, and emotionally has taught me something I never knew I’d need. I’ve finally applied a term to this. These are the stories your experiences tell without words. No one may know where our past started or how it ended up to be our present. They may judge us before they know. Even once they do, they may still. But our silent stories are worth more than we can ever imagine as long as we tell them each day in our actions.
7 years have given me my life back in more ways than I thought possible. Mostly, they have handed me an infinite amount of chances.
(Ok.. And a sweet pair of bat wings I’ve grown to love.)
How do you spell your chances?
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