What a person must first of all do is come to the painful acceptance that they are in need of a Saviour. Only in their need can they then begin to listen to and cooperate with God. Without repentance there can be no Christian life. One cannot be a Christian unless there is an ongoing work of repentance in all that they do. That is the life into which the believer is baptized.
Baptism is a commitment to repenting.
Repentance cannot be something that only takes place in the hearts and minds of believers. It has to flow over into the day to day life of the person living in a family and in a community. They have to show the fruits of repentance, life has to be changing, a change that comes about from being lived in dependence on God. The believer has to be acting in a just way, be loving with mercy and daily walking with God. It has to be more than just a good idea.