The 3 Step Process Guaranteed to Ensure 2nd Chance Success

This one’s for you, MW, and all the lessons that you teach!

Most people would gladly accept a second chance if it was offered to them.

Who among us hasn’t made decisions in the past that – despite our present level of happiness – we might have done differently if given the opportunity? Well, until time travel becomes both proven – and accessible to the masses – we all have to accept the fact that there is no going back, only moving forward.

That being the case, why is it that people get a second chance every single day of their lives, yet they never significantly change anything?

Many people want their lives to be a certain way, yet they have the completely incorrect belief that they have already missed their golden opportunity. Their ship finally came in, but then it left port without them. Lady luck finally came calling, but they were in the shower and didn’t hear the doorbell. They finally picked the winning lottery numbers, but then left the ticket in their pocket when they did the laundry.

Then there are the people whose lives deliver a less than subtle reminder that there is only so much time here on Earth to accomplish their goals. Anyone who has ever had a near-fatal accident, a heart attack, or a debilitating illness or disease comes out of that experience with a renewed desire to get moving on their goals, lest the next incident be more permanent than their first wake-up call was.

The simple truth of the matter is that you don’t have to wait until you have a brush with success or with death before you can start chasing your dreams with a vengeance. Every single day – every moment, for that matter – is your second chance for success. If you are serious about getting something done while you are here on this plane of existence, here is a 3-step process that will guarantee you’ll reach the finish line before your time runs out!

1. Fan the flames of your Burning Desire

If you want to get something done, you have to first know what it is!

That may seem like a ridiculous statement, yet it describes a situation that happens with most people. We allow our lives to become so busy and so cluttered with the tasks of our existence that we simply don’t spend enough time thinking about – and acting on – our true long-term desires.

Sure, most people have a general idea of what they want to get out of life, and they may even be on a general path to attain it. However, “general” is not a strong enough shield to protect you from the distractions that life will throw at you in the meantime. You need a specific goal; one that you don’t want to die without having accomplished.

Your goal does not need to be selfless, however, as many people have been led to believe. None of us were put here to accomplish anything less or more than what we personally want to accomplish. Even saints and visionaries who have sculpted the very fabric of history did so because it was what they wanted to do.

If you want to be a saint, then be a saint. If you want to be a sinner, then be a sinner. However, in either case, if you don’t know specifically what you want, then you’ll just settle for whatever you happen to get. Not to put too fine a point on it, but that is often something that won’t sound all that impressive during your eulogy.

If my life’s purpose is to learn and grow, while having a knock-down, drag-out good time in the process, then I want it said during my eulogy that I did exactly that, and that I never chased after some purpose that I wasn’t truly passionate about.

True visionaries have their own vision, and what other people think is of little consequence.

2. Learn from what didn’t work in the Past

Once you have decided what you want to accomplish – and I reiterate, what you have a burning desire to accomplish – then look back on all the days of your life so far to figure out why you don’t have it yet.

• Were you not clear enough about what you wanted?
• Did you not know how to attain it?
• Did you not apply yourself to the attainment of that goal?
• Was it your lack of confidence in your abilities that stopped you?
• Did you let other people hold you back?
• Were you a victim of the “victim mentality”?

Whatever your personal reasons are for not having accomplished your goals, there is only one person who is responsible for that, and it’s you. Don’t go beating yourself up about it, however. All lessons learned are learned for a reason, so rather than wallowing in self pity, simply do what we’ve all been told to do since the cradle:

Learn from your mistakes.

If whatever you did before didn’t work, it’s not going to work this time around, either. Change your tactics, and you’ll change your results.

3. Consistently apply yourself to the Cause

It doesn’t matter if your goal is to become wealthy, or to have the best lawn on your block, if you don’t consistently apply yourself to that goal, you’ll never achieve the level of success that you are capable of.

Most people have had at least some measure of success in the various areas of their lives, and most people will be able to remember a time when they:

• Had more money
• Had better relationships
• Had better health or a better body
• Had a better career
• Had more self confidence

Although there are sometimes circumstances that instantly or drastically take us away from “the good ol’ days,” there are no circumstances that can keep us from attaining the feelings of success that we had back then.

If you did it once, you can do it again.

Yes, I know, the excuses are already forming in your mind:

• I’m too old
• My health is not what it used to be
• I’ve had children, so my body can never go back
• I don’t have the job opportunities that I use to have
• It’s not possible to attain what I want

I have just three little words for anyone who uses any of those excuses, or anything similar:

Blah, blah, blah.

Does your age or your health affect your life? Sure. Does the fact that you’ve had children, that you’ve moved to a new area, or that you want something difficult to attain have an impact on the situation? Absolutely.

Here’s the rub, though. You can only be affected by those things to the extent that you allow yourself to be affected by them.

When you consistently apply yourself to attaining your burning desires, you open up a flood gate of opportunities to reach the level of happiness and success that you want. In fact, that happiness and success will very likely come in a different form, or from a different direction than you thought it would. However, if you don’t consistently apply yourself to the task of attaining your burning desires, then you will just as consistently fail to attain whatever it is that you want.

By knowing what you want to accomplish, you will put yourself on the path to attaining it.

By avoiding the pitfalls that have held you back in the past, you will ensure that you stay on the right path.

By consistently working towards your goals, you will create opportunities where before there were none.

If you don’t believe me, then I challenge you to try this method out for yourself. Unless, of course, you’re simply afraid of success. In that case, why are you reading a blog about personal development?