If you're anything like me, you believe that everyone deserves a second chance at something. However, if you're also like me, you give out more than a second chance, but rather 50 second chances. You try to stick with the game of baseball/softball and give them the "three strikes and you're out" kind of deal and give them yet another chance, but you don't stick with that either and keep them around longer. If you're like me, it means you give so much faith into a situation or a person that you sacrifice your happiness for the last second chance that doesn't come. This goes for any relationship or friendship you encounter.

Believing and having faith in someone isn't always a bad thing. It becomes a problem when you start losing who you are and your happiness. It's OK, we are all guilty of it. We get this picture in our heads, and even our heart, that we hold onto. Those are typically the cute, romantic scenes we rehearse like we are Nicholas Sparks or the amazing memories you share with someone before they became someone you don't recognize anymore. All too often, our second chances aren't given to the person, but rather given to the past memories we share or the script we created. If that wasn't a problem already, our bigger problem is the fact that we don't realize it until we have already been crushed. The biggest problem is we start to blame ourselves for why we are crushed. We start to blame ourselves instead of the person who hurt us. Soon, we are the ones apologizing, even though they were in the wrong, and most importantly, we apologize with a second chance.

I don't want to sound like a hypocrite, so this is something we will all just have to do together. It's time we start investing time in ourselves and start giving ourselves the second chance. As Shinedown said in their song, "Sometimes goodbye is a second chance." Let's see what happens when we gain the courage to say goodbye instead of apologize for their wrongdoings. It's time to start putting that faith and effort back into ourselves and believe there's something better out there for us. I'm not saying give up completely on the person or situation you've been holding onto, because truly only you know what's best for you, but what I am saying is make that second chance (even if it's the 20th one at that rate) hard to get. Believe in your self-worth and what you want in your life before you hand it out like it's a goody bag from a birthday party. We are all beautiful people, and we deserve to be treated with respect and love. Just because we have a big heart and like to believe in others doesn't mean we should be the ones always picking up the pieces. Always do what you feel is right for you and be aware of how easily you give out that second chance after you've given five of them already.