What if life had a rewind button. An undo switch. Unlimited second chances.
What if any mistake we made, any risk we took, any disaster that occurred could be taken back. Would we live our lives differently? Would we say the things we never thought we would?
Imagine how different the world would be. Experiments that had gone wrong could be avoided. Love proclamations that were not reciprocated could be unsaid. Even that bad investment could be repaid. There is no doubt in my mind that the world would be a nicer place. Maybe even more peaceful and more safe and more advanced.
But the truth is that life doesn't provide unlimited chances.
Usually we just get one.
We are born into this world with exactly one life to live. And only a few select opportunities to decide how to live it. Life doesn't offer unlimited chances. We are dealt the cards we are dealt.
But the nice thing about life, the one thing that we have to embrace as people is our awareness of this fact. The fact that you sometimes only get one chance. And that is beautiful.
Our awareness of the risk, our awareness of the possible returns, it makes us smarter. It makes us bold. It makes us have something to lose. It reminds us that life is precious. It reminds us to take the chances we usually wouldn't or avoid unnecessary risks.
It is important to understand that life doesn't have an undo switch.
But it is even more important to be okay with it.
It is important to know that every mistake, every disaster, every failure was made for a reason. To help us think. To help us make better choices. To teach that, if for some miracle, we get a second chance, a do over, a restart, that we will make different decisions.
So no, life doesn't sell second chances or unlimited opportunities. But it does provide us with the ability to make mistakes. Becuase we can't take them back. And why would we want to? Mistakes are painful, and destructive, and angry. But with every single one, we grow a little bit wiser. So that when the time comes to test that experiment, or tell that person you love them, or make that investment we remember that this may be the only chance. That life if built by the opportunities we decide to take and those we don't.
We don't get a million chances. But sometimes, all you need is one.
