“If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world.” Mercedes Lackey
In no real specific order, they kind of each tie into each other in some way.
5. Not Going After ‘The Life’
I don’t want to be 30 or 40 years down the line wishing I had worked harder and given it my all to make my dream life a reality.
I also don’t want to be one of those guys who just does enough to get by, always leaving something in the tank. What you leave in ‘the tank’ adds up and before you know it you’re living an ‘average’ life. Not so much in the sense of career or even financially, but you feel average.
I love the saying, ‘you get what you put into it.’ This applies to every area of life: family, career, even laughing and joking around with friends. Work as hard as you can, play as hard as you can, relax as best you can. Wherever you are, be there 100%.
The idea I have of an ideal life holds a few characteristics that I think will remain at any stage in life.
Freedom – financially and with regards to time and location. Being able to work from anywhere, at any time while doing something that will help people in some way has always been an ideal for me.
Everyone has their own ideal’s, which will most likely change over time. I know down the road I’m going to want to have a family, but freedom will still be a primary characteristic in my ideal life. The freedom to spend time with my family as much as humanly possible. Not to just provide for them but to be there for them.
4. Working Too Much
I’m not sure if there’s such this as working too hard as long as you balance it out with other things, but I’d say that you can definitely work too much. I don’t want to be that guy who spends all of my time at the office, working to give my family a better life when what they really need is me.
I want to be there for the people who need me most, but also enjoy them, laugh with them and live with them.
3. Not Spending Enough Time With the Right People
Not spending enough quality time with my Dad would be a big one. There’s a lot I can learn from him and my Grandfather. They have a lot of wisdom they can pass down to me.
But also not spending enough time with my friends. There’s no substitute for hard work, there’s also less happiness if you’re all alone.
2. Not Taking Care of My Body
Life is better when you’re healthy, active, strong, and confident in how you look, and what you can do physically.
I like picking my girlfriend up in my arms, heading to the boxing gym to get some sparring in. I like competing in sports, but also walking up stairs without being out of breath and having the energy to do all that I want to do if I’m travelling or even putting in a long work day.
I also don’t want to look back and wish, whish I had taken better care of myself as I have tubes coming out of every end that are keeping me alive.
Granted, I might end up like that anyways, I’m just trying to stack the odds in my favor.
1. Not Going After The Girl
I don’t ever want to be talking about ‘the one I let slip away.’ I actually want the girl of my dreams and I want to be the guy who does everything he can to get her and keep her.
If you lose her, you lose her, but don’t let her slip away because you didn’t truly go for it. Some say that if it’s meant to be, it’ll be. That’s a nice way to think, but it’s also kind of lazy. Sometimes things need effort, they need work, they don’t need to be forced but they do need to be given a chance.
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What’s the #1 thing you don’t want to regret?
