It’s widely thought that when we are old and looking back on our life we will be more likely to regret the things we didn’t do, rather than the things we did (and maybe got wrong). The full saying I think stems from Lewis Caroll:
“In the end we only regret the chances we didn’t take, relationships we were too scared to have and the decisions we waited too long to make”
I’ve been chatting about this to a few friends recently and it got me thinking.
One thing I don’t want to say before I die is “I should have done this” or “I wish I’d said that” or I should have loved more, risked more or experienced more.
On a daily basis we are reminded that life is too short and can be taken away from us at any time. Not that I want to live my life with doom and gloom hanging over my head, but with the terrorist attacks that have happened all over the world to innocent people it makes you realise how precious life is. So why wait another day to take a risk towards your dreams? Don’t wait to apply for your dream job, don’t wait another day to tell someone how much you love them. What do you have to loose?
Don’t wait for the “perfect time” there is no such thing, it’s nothing but a myth. Don’t play it safe, take a step towards your goals now as tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for any of us. If you don’t take risks and grab today by the horns your goals will fade away and you will never know what life could have been if you had taken small risks and pushed yourself harder to get to your dreams.
You can always move on from a mistake and ultimately even the risks you take that go wrong you learn from. But what you won’t always have is the opportunity again to take that gamble. Making a change or a life decision is scary, but do you know what is scarier…… regret.
