Do Treasure Second Chances

We commit many mistakes in life. Though painful, they make us learn the hard way and emerge stronger. Once the predicaments are over and we get second chances to rectify those mistakes, we should treasure the opportunities because when you commit the same mistake twice, people’s perception of you will not be pleasant. Here’s one you should never done.

A couple of years ago, while I was still pursuing my undergraduate degree, I got to know a scholar (let’s call him Bill.) Bill was an exceptional student, having been offered the scholarship after many rounds of competitive selection process. For the first few months, Bill was perfectly fine, attending classes regularly just like the rest of the students. Soon after, he began to skip lessons and failed several subjects. By year two, Bill had lost his scholarship and needed to take up study loan to pay for his tuition fees as well as his daily expenditure.

Sometime in early year four, Bill realized his mistake and began to work hard. It was an amazing feat he managed to graduate in time but his results was so bad there was no way the school could give him a good Honours classification. Consequently, his job search was more difficult than most of his peers. However, Bill’s sheer persistence (including providing free labour for about three months) moved the supervisor and he was offered a job. Seeing his keenness to learn, his supervisor was even willing to argue with the school to allow him to pursue an MSc programme. Bill began paying off his study loan and within two years or so, he had cleared about 70% of his loan which was impressive.

But just a month ago, I heard that Bill had reverted to his old ways. He had been absence from work for sometime and could not be contacted. His work contract had been temporarily suspended and according to a close friend who had visited him, he had been playing online game for almost 24 hours a day since he began staying at home. When asked what his future plan was, Bill said he needed time to think through it.

I really can’t understand the logic behind his actions. Doesn’t he learn from his past mistakes? Doesn’t he know second chances are not easy to come by? There are many who have been waiting patiently for second chances, but for some reasons or another, they never come. For those that have second chances, grab and treasure them.