Regretful

Do you have any regrets? Of course you do. We have all done things we regret; things we did and can never change or didn't do and want to change. I have, and I’ll tell you, no matter how much you try or wish that it had never happened, the fact remains this it has happened or didn’t happen and always will remain unchangeable. Pretty straight forward right? "Yea tell us something we don't already know Tyler". Well the simple fact is that many of us have a hard time accepting events and choices that have passed. Some of us will never truly accept the reality of our choices.

For myself, I have played it safe most of my life. I have kept my mouth shut and realized that it was a good thing I did, I have avoided asking out a girl, I have let someone else do something first because I was a little unsure. I have always lived on the safe side of life. For the most part, I saved myself a lot of embarrassment, for which I thought I would be grateful... but you know what? I'm not.

I am not grateful at all. Because I missed out on those key spots where I was right, and I should have asked out that girl, and I should have jumped my bike over that ramp first. And I missed out on being humiliated and I know that sounds like a bad thing, but its not, because those are the things in life that we need to experience. Life, excitement, being the first to try something, asking out a girl who you are almost positive is going to call you a freak and scream. That is part of learning and growing.

But I haven’t been playing it safe these past few years. It’s something I have been learning. Life was meant to be enjoyed. Life is taking risks. Sometimes there are risks that aren't worth taking, but some are. And even when some aren't worth it, you do it anyways because it’s the excitement of life, it’s a risk. Now please don't go and ride your dirt bike off the top of a cliff just to take a risk. Considering that the consequences of that risk includes death, one might think twice about such an attempt.

I think you know what I am getting at. Over the past couple of years I have been taking more risks, they might be small to you, but coming from an extreme introvert (Yea I used to be so shy I would rarely talk to anyone) these steps have been growth for me. Like quitting a job when I had no other job to go to, Spending money helping the poor when I was poor myself, starting my own business, telling a girl how I feel when I didn’t know what was going to happen. Now I know that last one is hard for some of you, it’s hard for all of us, but it’s still worth it! Oh I am talking to you girls too, don't be afraid to tell a guy how u feel.

You see the thing about taking a risk, is it may not turn out the way you wanted it to, but you will grow and learn from it. That’s the beauty of life; we are allowed to make mistakes, its one way we learn to do new things. And keep in mind, it might turn out to be something better than what u had hoped for.

Let me tell you about one of my regrets. When I was 16, grade 11, there was this new girl in school, she was beautiful and she was a Christian. She seemed like such a sweet girl. I didn't say a whole lot to her but I thought she was pretty special from what I knew of her and the little bit that we talked. I wanted to ask her out but I was too chicken, so I never did because just about every guy in my grade had called and asked her out and she turned them down. So eventually, I ended up dating this other girl who wasn't a Christian, but she liked me anyways and I got into all sorts of trouble, and we ended up breaking up. My life was a mess.
Well one day my older sister was talking to this girl I had thought was so special. For some reason, she told that girl "You know my brother used to like you allot". Her response was "Why didn't he ask me out, I would have gone out with him". When my sister told me the story my jaw nearly hit the floor. I couldn't believe it!!! But she was with someone else by then and it was too late. (And yea, even if we had gotten together it might still have never worked out, but maybe it would have lasted for a long time)

I don't know how to describe the regret I felt at that very moment. I was quite bothered and I thought about that a lot, and all the heartache I could have avoided and all the possible happiness I could have had with her.

I use relationship examples because they are so powerful, but I hope you are getting my point. There is a time to play it safe, but sometimes it is our pride that keeps us from taking a risk, a risk that might bring you something really awesome. But don't be scared to step out. Martin Luther stepped out.

And so I will leave you with this bit of wisdom.



Sometimes it’s not the things in life that we do that we regret the most, but it is the things that we don't do.