“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.” Pope John XXIII

By Samantha McKenzie

Do you have a life full of almosts?

Did you almost graduate?

Did you almost get married?

Did you almost take the job? 

Did you almost travel the world?

Did you almost fall in love?

Did you almost chase your dreams?

Did you say no to opportunities that seemed too difficult at the time? Did you pass up on things you really wanted to do because the idea of taking that huge leap scared you? Did you run? Did you say no when saying yes would have been the better choice?

These types of questions make me revisit my life. I’m reminded of things in life that I skipped out on and things that I still desire to do.

I don’t have many regrets, but I do often wonder, what if I zigged when I should have zagged? What if…?

I am now taking inventory of my life and seeing what passions I buried away. Instead of telling those old stories about how you almost became rich, try telling a newer version. Change the ending. Tell the story about how after 20 years, you decided to go back to school. Tell a new, fresh, and inspiring story, that after your first and second failed marriage, that you finally said yes to the right person. Turn your almost stories into “I did that!”

Be comfortable wanting it all. It won’t mean that you want everything out there. Nor will it mean you’ll get everything you fancy. It’s just a declaration that this time you’ll take a chance on yourself. It means that you’ll finally take a shot at going after the things you say you want and the things you know that are absolutely good for you.

I’m all for emptying out our other bucket. You know, the bucket that’s still full of regrets. Dig in there and get rid of your incomplete list of things you should have done or things you really wanted to accomplish. Use the time in front of you to change your narrative and be responsible for creating an awesome happy ending.

Think of each day as your second chance. Don’t waste it.