“We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance.” Harrison Ford

One of the chapters in my new book will explore “second chances”—those times when we can make a new start.

Sometimes our goal is one that we had previously established but, for whatever reason, we had not yet attained. A chance conversation with a stranger or a glance at old New Year’s resolutions and suddenly, our determination is renewed and we are back on track and moving forward.

But sometimes, the new start includes a new goal. Something happens—the industry we are in shuts its doors, the health we counted on suddenly takes a turn for the worse, the relationship that we believed would last forever doesn’t. We learn that our old plans are no longer feasible and our old goal is no longer an option. Instead we must find a new path to pursue.

That’s the wonderful thing about second (and third and fourth) chances: we have another shot at getting it right or of picking a new target to aim for. But to succeed—or, for that matter, to even get started—we need to let go of what was and focus on what is. Holding onto the past keeps us there, making it impossible to move through the present to our newly-defined future.

What about you—have you experienced a big change that has led to a second chance? Post your story here. (Send me an e-mail with your contact information if you’d like your story considered for my book.)