Be calm, focused, and live without fear.

Taking a chance is part of finding out what it is that we want, and any decision we make can easily be grown into another decision too, so do not think for a moment that taking a chance leads to something permanent; taking a chance is only a chance – an opportunity for change to surface and start something new for you.

When you know what it is that you want, or what you have to do, and then you do it – this is the chance that I am speaking of (and it usually causes us anxiety, requires a little bravery, and opens doors for us that we never thought were possible).

Synchronicity and parallel happenings.

I wanted to write about synchronicity while writing about chance because synchronicity and chance have a timing element to them that is very similar. Remember a time when you wanted to stand up and say something, or pay a compliment, or say thank you… and didn’t… and you felt it – you felt that time had opened a window of opportunity for you, but you backed out, and you probably don’t even know why. That moment, that window of opportunity, is one of those things that we remember. We remember those moments we didn’t take an opportunity; we remember feeling out of synch with things.

When I graduated high school, I took a chance and attended SUNY Stony Brook for two years. I left my hometown in Massachusetts; I left my family, left the dog, and started a different life. I remember how comfortable I felt when I arrived on campus. I felt empowered, and I felt that I was in the right place at the right time. I felt synchronicity in my life. I knew that my life during that time was full of parallels. I was aware. One of my favorite bets I would place with myself is how well my classes would interlock and compliment one another, and they always did (which was not planned). My classes, each semester, shared a common through-line and all I did was select the classes that would satisfy the credits I needed to graduate.

Let me provide an example: a course description might read like this, “PSY101, Introduction to Psychology”, but what the syllabus would present on the first day of class would be a project regarding society in 19th Century America with a focus on behavior between men and women; my Humanities class would present a project that had to do with women’s literature in 19th Century New York and its affect on society; my philosophy course might be a course in ethics whose syllabus would present a project on politics and society and the convergence of different ethics during the post-Civil War era; my American history course might revolve around the 1960’s and societal revolutions. These classes, although teaching very different subjects, were all connected. I felt like I was having tea with every character in every class that I read about, every day; it was amazing. Take a chance, create your own opportunity, experience synchronicity.

Value
 

I had to write about value because that word is mostly used to describe products and services, but is value is a key component when we want to know what is important to us. What do you value? Make a list of what you value, and think before you write. Think about the qualities in yourself that you value, think about the qualities in others that you value. Think about the things around your home that you value. Write them down. Come back to this list when you are feeling fear, when you are feeling without value yourself. Look at what you place around yourself, and ask yourself if it is of value or if it is bringing value to you (think about people and thoughts too, not just things). See if you are brave enough to let others know that you value them, and that you value yourself too. Are you are brave enough to let go of the things that do not bring value to you?