We’ve all felt it. The feeling that comes with being the second best or the second choice.
Maybe you got the understudy instead of the the lead role in a play. Maybe your best friend loves you, but not in the way you want. Maybe you were almost qualified enough to get into your dream school, but didn’t quite make the cut. But here’s the thing: being the second choice can be everything you need. You are exactly where you should be right now. Every time one door closes, another door opens. It’s an old saying, but it’s true. Every time you are close to what you want, and you still don’t get it, it’s another path for you to follow.
People make choices. Sometimes, those choices don’t include you. Sometimes, they pick someone else: for the lead in the play, the promotion, the acceptance letter. That’s something you have to learn to be okay with.
You can’t possibly be everything you want to be all the time. You can’t force yourself to be something you can’t be. You can’t force other people to choose you.
Sometimes you have to take a breath, accept whatever you can’t change, and move on.
You are enough as you are. Just because you can’t be exactly what you want to be doesn’t mean you’re not whole. You have a place in this world, even if it isn’t the place you want to be right now.
Being the second choice is not a negative, if you look at it the right way. In fact, it could be the best choice for your life. You just have to wait, walk through the next open door, and see what the next phase of life holds for you.