On what could have been and taking the leap

I wonder what would have happened if...

I'm almost positive that each and everyone of us has asked ourselves this question at least once in our lives. Sometimes it can increase to once a week, and maybe even once a day.

Personally, I used to ask myself this question quite often. Although I consider myself one who has taken advantage of many opportunities presented to me, there are still so many that I let pass me by. I guess it was because I was afraid- afraid of stepping outside of my comfort zone, afraid of the unknown, and afraid of failure. Like I mentioned earlier, I now believe that you cannot truly fail unless you quit trying, but I wish I knew this earlier.

We don't know what we are really capable of until we try new things. I think that sometimes we can surprise ourselves and find joy in unexpected places. It's just that our fear of the unknown holds us back and keeps us wondering what could have been. This fear is something that we need to overcome.

The movie Yes Man was about this very issue. As entertaining as Jim Carrey is, I believe this movie brings up an important message. There are so many advantages to taking a leap of faith, but at the same time, we have to remember to stay within ourselves and make conscious decisions. I feel that college has introduced me to so many new experiences- it really opened up my mind and helped me develop this new outlook on life.

I would rather regret doing something than regret not doing something. Now I want to qualify this by reiterating that we shouldn't just act carelessly. We need to understand why we're doing something, even though we may be experiencing it for the first time. It's important to again, stay within ourselves and act with purpose. Nonetheless, I would encourage you to open yourself up to the world and take advantage of what it can offer.

I've recently had a few conversations about the notion of "the one who got away." This is such an interesting concept because it's completely rooted in the question, I wonder what would have happened if... I believe that this thought is unique in that it's something that is rarely solved. I wonder if I should have fought harder for her. I wonder if I should have asked her out. In terms of taking a leap, there are so many who are afraid to do it in this context- possibly in fear of ruining a friendship. But couldn't it have become something more? For many, their chance to find out has already passed.

Often times, we do take the leap and the experience isn't what we thought, or what we hoped it would be. We can be disappointed with the outcome of the chance we took. But at least we know now, and we can learn from it. I would say that this is better than being left to wonder.

At some point in our lives, we have to take the leap and see where we land.