Living Without Regret

When I run I tend to like to listen to books on tape or podcasts on my iPod to pass the time. One of the podcasts I was listening to made a comment that really stuck with me. The speaker was talking about fear, regret, and life and it got me thinking. Sometimes it is true that fear can be overwhelming, but letting that fear cause paralysis in our life will only lead to regret. It isn't until we chose to act, despite our fears, that we truly begin to live. I said before and it still holds true today that I want to live my life without regret.

Now that I think about it I realize that the reason I have no regrets in my life is not because I haven't made bad decisions, it is because I have always made a decision despite the fear. It is far better to do something, anything, than do nothing at all. I believe whole-heartedly that it is difficult to regret things you've done, it is far easier to regret the things you didn't do. Everyone has fears, but not everyone knows how to live despite them and that's really kind of sad. Some of the most memorable and rewarding events happen when we don't let the fear stop us.

Once you learn to take the fear and push it aside it gets easier to do each and every time a new fear comes along and that really does make living life that much more enjoyable. If I could, I would challenge everyone to do something they fear at least once a month or better yet once a week....whether it's something simple like going to a restaurant by yourself, striking up a conversation with a stranger, taking a self-defense class, learning a new language, taking a vacation by yourself...regardless of what it is I can almost guarantee that you won't regret it!