But not everyone gets one.
A hockey buddy of mine made some bad decisions a few months ago. He crashed his car and broke his neck. Miraculously, he’s still here. It’s going to be a long road back. I don’t know if he’ll ever play again. But he’s alive. And it could have been so much worse.
We had a heavy conversation recently. The kind where you start asking the big questions. Life. Death. Purpose. God.
I told him something I believe with my whole heart. For some reason, he was given another shot. I don’t know why. None of us do. But he woke up. He’s breathing. That matters.
We all know people who didn’t get that gift.
I think about my own “second chance” moment that never came.
My senior year at Culver Military Academy, I made some bad decisions. A few of us got caught drinking off campus. When they questioned me, I lied. Straight to their faces. When it all came together, the drinking, the lie, and a couple prior infractions, the decision was made. I was expelled.
Seventeen years old. Hockey was my identity. My senior season gone. My future uncertain. It felt like the end of everything.
Some coaches and administrators went to bat for me at my appeal. They told the board I was a good kid who made a mistake. I sat there wanting that second chance more than anything I’ve ever wanted.
I didn’t get it.
They upheld the decision.
I finished my senior year back in Peshtigo, the kid who got kicked out of prep school.
At the time, it felt like pure loss. But that moment taught me something that has never left me.
Consequences are real.
Opportunities can disappear in a second.
Nothing is guaranteed.
For my buddy recovering from that accident, I told him I’d walk with him as he wrestles through the big questions. When you’re handed another shot at life, you don’t waste it. You lean in. You learn. You grow.
And maybe someone reading this right now is waiting on their own second chance.
Maybe you messed up earlier this season. Maybe you’ve been coasting. Maybe fear has had a grip on you. Maybe a coach hasn’t noticed you yet. Maybe you’ve been holding something back.
Here’s the truth.
The season isn’t over.
This month is your window.
You don’t need a dramatic accident or a boardroom appeal to flip the switch. You can decide today that you’re done drifting. Done blaming. Done waiting.
Live like there is no second chance.
Train like this is it.
Compete like this is the last shift you’ll ever play.
And if life does hand you another opportunity, treat it like gold. Protect it. Respect it. Maximize it.
March is here.
Second chance or not, we move forward with purpose. With intensity. With belief.
I’m here with you, sharing the stories, the wins, the losses, the lessons.
Now I want to hear yours.
Do you have a second chance story? Hit reply and tell me. I read every single one.
Let’s make this month count.
Knuckles up,
Bobby Robins, savage motivator, ex hockey pro, writer for Wraparound