“In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.” I recently ran across this statement, and it spoke to me in a profound way. How valid it is and what truth just a short sentence holds for us all. Truth be told, if you look back in history, even in your own history, you will find that regret does lie with the chances we didn’t take, knowing that if we were to take that chance, something amazing was bound to happen, but we were “fine” just being safe and predictable.

I know that this may seem as a cliché, but what is the point of living if we are just going to “play it safe” all of the time? Is it possible to take that chance and find that most of what we do is just playing it safe instead of taking that chance we know may only come by once in a lifetime? Isn’t that what life is all about? Finding and taking those chances we know may lead us to where we want to be?

What if we were able to take some of our regrets, make them a reality to the present, take the lesson we learned and apply it to whatever situation we have found ourselves in? Is it possible? Honestly, I don’t think so.

Knowing we could have done something great and did nothing, played it safe and never took that chance that would have made a difference between living life and just existing — that’s where regret comes from. If you’re looking for advice in all of this, all I can tell you is that things in life happen for a reason, whether good or bad. It is up to you what you do with the things life teaches you. You can either learn from them or you can move on like nothing ever happened.

All I can tell you is do the best you can with what life gives you and try to be the best person you can be, because regardless of whether or not you ever learn anything, life will always be right in front of you teaching you, guiding you, and sometimes, knocking you down. It is always up to you to get up, dust off your failure, and get back into the race. That’s always your choice, and it’s one I shall leave you with.