Second chances

I have thought a lot about second chances lately…On Saturday we hosted our Bounce-A-Thon event at the studio, and for the second time in a row our studio had the best attendance and most tickets sold of all 40 studios countrywide!

It was a very special day, filled with sweat, fun, laughter, and more sweat, but we also had a precious moment of paying tribute to all the cancer survivors of Ermelo by means of a short slideshow…

…I think when it comes to second chances, it’s especially the cancer survivors who can relate…As survivor Renee Exelbert recently said:

“Being a cancer survivor is like being shaken in a kaleidoscope.  When the dust finally settles you see new constellations of colours that are magical and beautiful.”

My thoughts about second chances were further enhanced Saturday afternoon, when we had the privilege of attending Leon and Carien’s wedding – we are all grateful for their second chance at happiness and love.  Just like that of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez! In a recent interview with “People” magazine, Jennifer Lopez describes her reunion with Affleck, nearly two decades after the first break up, as “a beautiful love story” about second chances.

At some point in our lives, we are ALL bound to get a second chance at something – maybe it’s the chance of restoring a relationship or friendship, maybe it’s a second chance from your boss at work after a major flop, maybe it’s rewriting an exam that you failed the first time, or maybe it’s re-recording a Cardio Fun class that went haywire with technical hiccups the first time around.  Hmmm, been there, done that one!

I am an avid believer in second chances – they teach us patience, wisdom, forgiveness, and courage.  Second chances are a gift from the universe – you get a second chance to be with someone you love, you get a second chance to prove yourself at work, you get a second chance to be a better person, or a better instructor, or a better friend or a better parent.

We tend to think that the first time is the only time, we think the first time is the best time – we are so obsessed with getting things right from the first time, that we often give up on things and sometimes ourselves too easily…

I remember when the girls, our studio’s amazing instructors, had their practical Fitpro exam in Bryanston a few months ago, how disappointed and discouraged they had all felt after their first 2-minute warm-up routine.  Almost all of them whispered to me that they could have done better, only if they just could have another shot at it. Little did they know at the time that they would all pass with flying colours anyhow!  How? Because they put the negative thoughts aside, and went full-blast during the second and third rounds of their exam.

We are all familiar with the saying: “If at first you don’t succeed, sky diving isn’t for you…”  Haha, no, just joking, I actually mean, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again…”  

Some say that the essence of the expression comes from Robert 1 of Scotland (Robert the Bruce), a 14th century king who, the legend says, having suffered a major defeat at the hands of the English, went into hiding in a cave near Gretna (close to the border of Scotland and England). While there, he watched a spider trying to spin a web. Each time the spider failed, it simply started again. The story goes that Robert was so inspired by the little arachnid that he left the cave and returned to lead his troops in a series of victories against the English.

We all need second chances.  This isn’t a perfect word, and we’re not perfect people.  We rarely get things right the first time.  You and I, we are probably on our 1000th chance right now and let’s not be ashamed to admit it.  Because even though we’ve failed a lot, it means we’ve tried a lot too.

The famous visual artist, C Joybell C, recently noted: ‎”What does it mean if you tried to get somewhere, and you didn’t?” “Like what?” “Like if you were trying to get somewhere, but you couldn’t find it? Does that mean something bad?” “No. It doesn’t mean something bad. It just means you have a second chance to do it. And two chances are always better than just one.”

So, give yourself a second chance, give your parents a second chance, give your friends a second chance, give your Summer Challenge a second chance, give your dreams a second chance, give your love a second chance, give happiness a second chance, AND give life a second chance.

Call it destiny, coincidence, or déjà vu, life is always presenting us with second chances – the question is, what are we going to do with them?

You wish you could’ve started drawing, you wish you could’ve learned to love yourself sooner, you wish you could’ve lost 10 kg.  Well, you know what?  You didn’t.  And that’s something you are going to have to deal with.  But just because you didn’t do it sooner, doesn’t mean you can’t start now…

As Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet wrote more than 100 years ago: “Life always offers you a second chance.  It’s called tomorrow…”

Yours in fitness

Mirna

082 779 0507