Fear Regret More Than Failure

I recently read an article about the final pieces of advice given by senior citizens as they reflected on their lives. Here are some of the powerful things they said:

• I wish I'd lived the life I wanted rather than the one someone else planned for me.

• Don't sleepwalk through life. You'll miss the important things.

• You never know the value of a little moment until much later, when you realize how big that moment really was.

• I wish I had spent more time with my parents listening to the things they wanted to tell and teach me.

• Someday you will hug someone for the last time, you'll kiss them for the last time, you'll talk to them for the last time, and you'll never know it was going to be the last time. Savor every hug, kiss, and goodbye as if it were the last.

But the one that really hit home for me was "Fear regret more than failure." Another way of saying that is "It's not the things we did that we remember most, it's the things we never tried."

No matter how old you are, I'm sure you have memories of the chances you didn't take. Maybe it was a job opportunity, a scholarship, or even a relationship you didn't pursue. Early on in life, we are okay with those moments because we are confident there will be more down the road. As we get older, those opportunities seem to come less frequently, and it's a challenge to focus more on the future than on the missed moments of the past.

For myself, I can think of many chances I took that paid off and missed opportunities I let slip by. There were moments I took for granted that would always be there, and it was only after those moments were gone that I realized how precious they were and how blessed I was to experience them. Whether you realize it or not, life is filled with "last times" at every turn. The last time you'll see an old childhood friend again, the last time you'll sit down to dinner with a full table of family members, the last time you'll walk out the door of a job you enjoy, the last time you'll eat at a favorite restaurant, and so many others.

But we cannot allow ourselves to live in the "What I should have done" moments in the past. Today, I want you to take a moment to recognize the new opportunities that present themselves. The new doors that open in life if you are willing to walk through, the new friendships that present themselves if you're willing to be friendly, and those things you've always wanted to try but never did.

What is that one thing you've always said you were going to do but have never started? Is it a trip you've been postponing? A phone call you've been meaning to make to a loved one? A job idea you've always wanted to develop? A book you've always wanted to read (or write)? A musical instrument you've always wanted to learn how to play? Don't keep putting it off. Tomorrow will be here before you know it, and so will next year, and soon you'll realize ten years have passed and you still haven't done it. You're never too old to dream and to do.

Try. Even if you fail, you'll at least know you attempted something great. And someday, your future self will thank you for trying, rather than always wondering, "What if I'd just given it a shot?"

I know you can do great things!