Do you ever wonder…?
Why didn’t you ask that person out on a date?
Why didn’t you try to get that job?
Why didn’t you take that trip?
Why didn’t I give this/that a try?
Why didn’t I start that business?
Do you ever wonder about those things that you thought about doing but never tried to do them?
Here’s one example that I have: Why didn’t I play football is high school? My reason at the time was that I thought that I was too small but the real reason was fear. Going into high school as a freshman I didn’t want to have to scrimmage the varsity team.
I have a others that are job, education, or relationship related. Thankfully I don’t think much about them but, once in a while, I wonder. I’ve learned that there is no point in wasting time in regret; I can’t change the past, but I can change how I make decisions about my future.
You see, you don’t have time to waste regretting your past. You need to take what you can learn from the past and use that information to make better decisions for your future. I would say that the main thing that we can learn is to not let fear of the unknown affect our decision-making. Did I know that I would get hurt in a scrimmage against the varsity team if I played football? No, yet I let that keep me from trying. Sure I might have been injured, but I’ll never know if I would have been injured or if I would have been a star on the team.
I don’t know about you but I don’t want to wonder any more. I no longer what to “not know” what might have happened. I’ve decided that I’m doing things differently for the rest of my life!
Case in point: Do I know if I’m a gifted speaker? Nope, but I’m going for it. (BTW… let me know if you need a speaker for an event and I’ll show up.) Do I know if I enjoy competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)? Nope, but I will compete this year.
Let me explain a bit using the BJJ scenario: I enjoy competition, but really just for the sake of playing the game. I don’t have to win but I will try to win when I compete. I will admit, however, that I don’t like obnoxious winners. But, I’m not going to let that (obnoxious winners), fear of injury, fear of failure, or fear in general keep me from competing. I will win when I show up because I will no longer have to wonder what might have been – I will know.
So, my question for you is this: will you keep wondering or will you start doing?
I pray that you’ll go for it!