Do you see your life as an adventure? If not, what are you waiting for?
I played it safe in so many ways when I was younger. I have some hypotheses about why I was like that (e.g., protective parent, being a late bloomer), but I guess it doesnāt matter now.
All I know is I didnāt pursue as many dreams as I should have, or experience as many things as I could have, and now I have many, many regrets.
"Fortune favors the bold."
āĀ Publius Vergilius Maro
You canāt go back in time and change things, but you can decide to take more risks and live larger tomorrow.
And the next day.
And the nextā¦Ā
Oddly enough, Iāve become more adventurous as I grow older. I think I realized how quickly my life is going by. Iām taking more risks, and some of my friends call me crazy, but Iām enjoying life as much as possible before this wild ride is over.
You donāt get a ādo-over.ā
On your deathbed, you canāt say, āWait! I canāt go yet. I still want to climb a mountain, swim in the ocean, fall in love, write a book, learn to play guitar, sing out loud, and do all of those magical things I dreamed of doing when I was a child.ā
If I had always played it safe, I never would have met my future wife, asked her out, and experienced the amazing life weāve shared. I saw her across a crowded room. I thought she might be looking at me and smiling, but I wasnāt sure. Later, when my friend and I were leaving, she was standing in the kitchen with her boyfriend. I took a chance and said, āHey.ā She smiled and said, āHi.ā Weeks later, we met in a class. I went up and talked to her, and the rest is history. Weāre celebrating 32 years of marriage tomorrow.
If I had always played it safe, I never would have:
Joined the military.
Pursued a Ph.D.
Traveled the world.
Explored unfamiliar cities at night (on foot).
Lived in China.
Become a vice president.
Given up my tech career and started over.
Joined CrossFit and start lifting weights when I was 44 years old.
Founded a startup at 47.
Launched a new business at 50.
Learned how to ski at 53.
āOf all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, āIt might have been.āā
ā Kurt Vonnegut
Donāt make the same mistakes I did. Donāt play it safe because youāre afraid to get hurt, have your heart broken, fail, or look like a fool.
Thereās nothing more painful than dying with regrets. Live large, my friends. Live large!
Hi, Iām Larry Cornett, aĀ Personal Coach who can work with you to optimize your career, life, or business. My mission is to help you take complete control of your life so you can become a more āInvincible You.ā I currently live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and a gigantic Great Dane.
Staying true to my advice, I was skiing more boldly last week and took a bit of a crash and tumble (view on Instagram using the image below). Hey, it happens. Iām feeling ok now and got back on the slopes yesterday, despite a little voice in my head telling me, āBe careful!ā