Oops!
You've likely seen the above picture before. GOOD IDEA with POOR EXECUTION! Can you imagine how the person that got this tattoo felt once they realized the mistake that was made with a PERMANENT tattoo?
Now listen, I could do a whole article on the thoughts of making sure you don't mix "poor execution" with a "good idea" but that's not what this particular article is about.
Don't take this too literal with the tattoo example above, o.k.? But, here's the thing about living live with NO REGRETS (what the tattoo was SUPPOSED to have spelled out)... sometimes YOU SCREW UP or someone else does something that screws things up for you!
Don't Regret What You Didn't Do
YESTERDAY
Take Action and Feel Great About Saying
YES TODAY
Don't live your life in regret. That's something that most of us probably have said or believe yet, for whatever reason, most - if not all - of us do, indeed, have many regrets.
As I write this article, I'm 62 years old (closer to 63) and, as I look back over my life, I regret the opportunities that crossed my path that I didn't "jump on" for whatever reason.
What are YOUR reasons?
I really encourage you to go back and listen to the "People of Passion" podcasts that I've put out so far. You can read my last article for the links to each of these first three. EACH of these ladies talk about some sort of hesitation in making a move in their life based on their PASSION. Each discuss things that could have held them back and that COULD hold them back even now.
Is it FEAR? "What if I screw things up?" "What if my (friends, family, spouse, etc) think I'm crazy for doing this and what if they continually tell me I shouldn't do it?"
Here's another one that is based on FEAR but in a way that most of us won't admit: "What if it DOES work well and I don't know what to do or how to do it? What if I screw it up then?"
What is it for you?
Again, I do believe that you must have "good execution" to some extent but, at the same time, you could also end up continually trying to make sure that you have that "good execution" covered in every possible way to the point that you never take action. It's called "paralysis by analysis".
Very simple example that you can take and apply to your own situation. You may decide you want to try to bungee jumping and get so excited that you go and jump off of a cliff...without making proper preparations of actually HAVING A BUNGEE CORD attached to your body. Yeah, that won't work.
You could also decide that you like the idea of sky diving and, just like the example above, jump out of an airplane only to realize (too late!) that you should have made sure you actually had a parachute!
There is a delicate balance between "good execution" (preparation) and boldly taking a step out in the direction of your goals and dreams.
"LIVE FULL AND DIE EMPTY" is a phrase that is often attributed to Les Brown but I've seen many others say it and even at least one other person write a book by the same title. It doesn't really matter WHO said it but, rather, what matters is whether or not you are able to step up and out and live the idea.
Hey listen, I've made a LOT of mistakes in my life and, to be honest, many of them have been financially costly. HOWEVER, I do my best to NOT allow regret to be a part of those moves. Why? Because I stepped out and took a chance.
Do I wish that these mistakes had turned out for the better? Of course I do! But they didn't and I survived. And, most of the time (if not ALL of the time), I learned some valuable lessons in the process. I'm not just saying that...it is a fact, friend.
I'm going to be doing a couple of more articles/podcasts that tie into to this concept but, until then, I want to leave you with one other POWERFUL thought to keep in mind on all of this:
"You can face everything and RISE or you can fear everything and FALL."
Until next time, remember...
YOU'RE HERE FOR A REASON and, whatever you do, always be sure to...
"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"
