I’m 36. I have regrets.
It seems like yesterday that I was in college (Go Hokies!). I remember high school like it was yesterday. It feels like just moments ago, I was swinging from the jungle gym and enjoying naptime during my kindergarten class. But that stuff is far gone now… 10 years ago… 20 years ago… 30 years ago.
Looking back, I have clearly made mistakes. That doesn’t bother me so much. I have learned from most of them. What does bother me is the missed opportunities. What bothers me are the times I ran toward comfort instead of trying something new. What bothers me are not the risks that I took, but the risks that I avoided.
My past is as dead as a stiff in a morgue. So is yours. There is nothing we can do to resuscitate our pasts. Don’t waste your time trying and don’t waste your time worrying. The only thing we can do is change our behaviors now. It is time to push away from the comforts of repeating your past, because until you do, you will regret what you missed.
Here is my little formula for living without regret (or at least with a whole lot less regrets):
If you heart says “Yes!” and your head says “No!”, go for it! - This is the clearest sign you will get from your soul telling you what to do. Your head is just going into the protection mode of keeping you in the “tried and true” past. Lead with your heart!
If it won’t go away, go for it! – Sometimes life will present the same opportunity over and over. That can be a clear signal you should be giving it a shot.
Follow your heart, not your urge! – I love jelly beans. When they are put in front of me, I go through a whole bag in seconds. Then I get sick as a dog. I followed my urge to devour the jelly beans, and not my heart that was telling me to enjoy just a few. When temptation presents itself, make sure you are listening to your heart and not an urge.
Fear the pressure of peer pressure – Just because everyone else is doing it, doesn’t mean it is right for you. You gut knows what’s right, go with that.
If you regretted it once, don’t regret it again - If you have regrets, it is a clear signal not to make that mistake again. If you are lucky enough for the opportunity to present itself again… Go for it! Go for it! Go for it!
Do you have any regrets? Do you regret something in your entrepreneurial life? Personal life? It’s time to start living without regrets. It is time to push the limit today, so when you reflect back tomorrow, you smile.
I wrap up most of my live presentations with this famous quote from Mark Twain. Today I will wrap up the O-Blog the same way:
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain
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