As I sat down to write this, I couldn't shake the thought of the controversy of second chances. Nine times out of ten, people will tell you they don't give out second chances because they can easily turn into three, four or ten.

But I'm not here to write about giving your significant other, friend, or family member a second chance. I'm talking about giving your relationship with yourself the opportunities you deserve.

So, maybe you failed your test or didn't do so hot on something you put a lot of time and effort into. Did you beat yourself up over it? Did you let it control your mood for the next few hours or days? Is there a gray cloud and a sign hanging over your head flashing "FAILURE!"?

It is okay to feel as if you messed up, but if you gave something everything you had and it didn't turn out the way you had hoped, it does not make you a failure. You are not defeated, you are not damaged, and you are not worthless.

I could sit here all day and tell you all the things you are, but you will never believe me because you are too busy scrutinizing yourself. I get it, I've been there. I still have those days when I fail to see my worth. It is human nature to listen to those voices in our heads that tell us to give up and move on from chapters in our life that we feel we could never succeed at, no matter how hard we try.

If you want to move on and pursue another passion in your life, then absolutely go for it. But this article isn't for you.

This piece is for the brokenhearted. The ones who have fallen down too many times to count, but continue to rise because they can't stop daydreaming about their ambitions. For the people who know they still have more grit in them to give, but don't know how to go about it, this one is for you.

I hope you wake up in the morning and instead of feeling as if the weight of the world is on your shoulders, you feel today is a new opportunity to chase down your dreams. When you're faced with the choice of giving up or giving in, I know which path you'll take. You take the path that requires blood, sweat, tears and countless hours questioning if you're capable.

You take the road that is full of obstacles, twists and turns, and dead ends. You know that in order to truly succeed, there are no shortcuts to your destination.

To the people in your life who can't help but question why you even still bother, you smile and say, "Man, I hope one day you're able to feel this way about something, because it is truly beautiful," and you carry on with your day. People may think it's sad that you keep working so hard towards something that never comes. But you don't want, nor need, their pity.

Their comments are the things you hold in your back pocket. You hear their voices of doubt and discouragement, but your voice is louder. The voice that tells you to keep persevering is stronger. Your voice telling you to get back up and give it one more chance is over-powering the comments of insecurity.

Guess what? The day will come when you finally achieve your goal you worked so hard for.

All the hours of never giving up on yourself will pay off. The days you spent crying in your room alone will have been worth it. The nights you laid awake questioning what your purpose in life is, finally makes sense. The day you looked yourself in the mirror and chose to say, "I believe in me", was the day you became unstoppable.

Remember, Rome was not built in a day. Neither was anything magnificent. So, the next time you find yourself stuck between giving up and giving in, I hope you chose your ambition, time and time again. Every time you hear their voices of disbelief, know you worked damn hard to get to this point. Persistent, hard-working, and gritty individuals are people who never gave up on their daydream.

Be venerable. Speak it into life. Tell the world about your aspirations. Let them be known, let people in who build you up and want to see you succeed. Those are people in life who see how much this means to you.

Give yourself a second chance at excellence. You are only as great as you allow yourself to be. Failing a test you studied long and hard for does not determine your worth. Falling just inches, minutes, or points away from your dream does not make you good-for-nothing.

Hardships make you stronger. Get back up. Rise because I promise you there are people in this world who are praying that you stay down.

Take the second opportunity at life, I promise you won't regret it. Love yourself enough to know you deserve so much more than to be comfortable or satisfied. As they say, you will either spend your whole life working for someone else's dream, or you can work every day to build your own. The choice is yours.