Gratitude Day 89: Chance How many chances do we have in a lifetime? Chances to learn, to grow, to change, to suffer, to begin again, to defy the odds, to promise, to deliver, to fail, to fail again, to succeed,to mend, to love, to win, to lose, to start, to finish. It seems infinite in a way almost paralyzing, overwhelming certainly thought provoking. Chance, choice, fate, destiny....they all seem intertwined and interrelated, dependent in a way on each other. If I truly examine all of the chances I have had in my lifetime Im sure the number would be in the millions. Each day thousands of choices that lead to chance go whirling through our brains both consciously and unconsciously. I have a chance right now to stop writing get in my car withdraw a thousand dollars from my bank account drive to Vegas make one bet on the Black Jack table then drive home. Or I could check the freezer and see if we have any Swiss Almond Vanilla Haagen Dazs ice cream and devour a bowl. Chance is the possibility of something happening....Chances is slightly different being the probability of something happening. Opportunity is the set of circumstances allowing something to occur. So if I can create a set of circumstances or recognize when those circumstances line up then I can increase my chances for opportunity. Thinking of the possibilities the millions of choices that are available at any time can be crazy making but just like if we push ourselves just outside our comfort zones our overall comfort with anything increases, if we focus on the possibilities in our lives that are achievable and work just beyond, then our chance at those possibilities becoming reality increase. Incremental growth is powerful and attainable. A few months ago a single sit up was tough for me because of the chemo, radiation and transplant. My core abdominal strength was shot. I hit upon the idea to do two sit ups thirty days ago and add two sit ups per day with the weekends off to recover. I decided to link it with my shower since I shower every day....this morning I did sixty sit ups more than I was doing each day before I was diagnosed with Leukemia. I took a chance created reasonable circumstances along with the opportunity my body was capable of giving me right now and I am well on the way to having core strength beyond what I thought possible. There are so many chances out there worth taking but fear, a sense of being overwhelmed, being unaware, being intimidated, wanting to be too comfortable and many other challenges keep us from jumping in or taking those chances. I am inspired by my sit up exercise (no pun intended) and will start being a little bolder in seeking other chances in my life. Chances with my career, my family, my friends, my health, my spirituality, my general capabilities, my relationship to my environment and my emotional harmony. This life is so precious and fleeting, we have so many chances, choices and opportunities to make it the best that it can be I am going to be more conscious of that and make the most of what blessings I have been given. with Lisa Campbell McCorkle
Posted on: Wed, 21 May 2014 06:08:03 +0000