No regrets.“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
If you could go back in time and talk to the 18-year-young you or
leap forward and visit with the 80-year-old you, who would you want
to take advice from? It’s an interesting proposition. For me, it would
be my older self. The view from the stern comes with the wisdom
gathered from a longer and wider lens.
So what would an older, wiser you say? “Go live your life. Live
it fully, without fear. Live with purpose, give it your all, and never
give up.” Effort is important, for without it you will never succeed at
your highest level. Achievement is important, for without it you will
never experience your true potential. Pursuing purpose is important,
for unless you do, you may never find lasting happiness. Step out on
faith that these things are true. Go live a life worth living where, in
the end, you’ll be able to say, “I’m glad I did,” not “I wish I had.”
Why do I think this? Because many years ago I began trying to
understand what a life worth living would look like. I decided to go
out and discover what this might be. It was a trip worth taking. I
visited with people older than me, wiser than me, more successful
than me. I researched, I read, I sought advice. From every credible
source imaginable, I looked for clues and signs. Ultimately I
stumbled on a simple point of view: A life worth living might be
measured in many ways, but the one way that stands above all others
is living a life of no regrets.
Life is too short to pile up woulda, coulda, shouldas.
What clinched this for me was when I asked myself who might