Let’s try a thought experiment…

Imagine that you’re approaching the end of your life.

You look back upon your long, mostly happy life. You remember many joyful moments, but you also have some regrets. As you reflect upon all of this, you say:

If only…

• If only I had taken that chance.
• If only I had expressed my true feelings.
• If only I had followed my heart.
• If only I had __________ .

You also find yourself saying:

What I wouldn’t give to __________ one more time.

You think of everything–big and little–that you’d love to experience again:

• What I wouldn’t give to see the person I love most just one more time.
• What I wouldn’t give to swim in the ocean–to feel the power of the waves and the warmth of the sun–just one more time.
• What I wouldn’t give to hear my favorite song just one more time.
• What I wouldn’t give to spend one more day with my best friends.
• What I wouldn’t give to sit in the grass and listen to the birds one more time.
• What I wouldn’t give to _________ just one more time.

Your list goes on and on and on, as you think of all the things you’d love to do…if only you had a second chance.

But then something miraculous occurs:

A genie appears. He tells you that you ARE getting a second chance! You CAN go back and make different choices–including doing some of the things from your “if only” list. You can also go back and savor many of the joys you remembered so fondly.

There are only 3 rules:

1. The genie can only affect YOU — no bringing back the dead or changing other people’s lives.
2. The genie chooses what age you’ll return to — rather than send you all the way back to childhood, he picks an age when you were mature enough to make important decisions and young enough to carry them out.
3. No more do-overs! — no third (or fourth or fifth) chances–this is it!

You agree to the rules and agree to be transported back to an earlier time in your life–a pivotal moment when your choices and actions could REALLY impact the whole of your life.

The genie claps his hands, and it happens…

All of a sudden, here you are–years younger, able to live again with the benefit of your lifetime of experience. Able to learn from mistakes. Wise enough to follow your heart, to preempt regret, to savor every precious moment, no matter how big or small, significant or “mundane”–because you now know that nothing is “mundane”!

This opportunity is truly a miracle!

Now the question becomes:

What are you going to do with your second chance?

• Will you cherish the people dear to you, not taking your time with them for granted?
• Will you gain a new appreciation for the little details of life that you barely used to notice?
• Will you follow your heart and pursue your dreams, even if it’s scary?
• Will you see every moment as a miracle?
• Will you express your authentic self and live your true life?
• Or will you live the same way you lived the first time around, and end up with the same regrets?

Only you can know. Only you can make the most of this miraculous opportunity, this second chance. Only you can live the life your heart wants you to live this time around!

The miracle has already happened. The rest is up to you.

…

So, what ARE you going to do with your “second chance”? How will your life be different this time–in terms of external actions and/or internal experience? I’d love to hear your comments. And, if you enjoyed this post and want to hear your friends’ reactions, please feel free to share this (by clicking the buttons below–or word of mouth or any other way). Thanks!