man on top of mountain under blue sky — Photo by Wojciech Then on Unsplash

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 doesn’t matter now.

All I know is I didn’t 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."
— Publius Vergilius Maro

You can’t 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 next…

Oddly enough, I’ve become more adventurous as I grow older. I think I realized how quickly my life is going by. I’m taking more risks, and some of my friends call me crazy, but I’m enjoying life as much as possible before this wild ride is over.

You don’t get a “do-over.”

On your deathbed, you can’t say, “Wait! I can’t 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.”

If I had always played it safe, I never would have met my future wife, asked her out, and experienced the amazing life we’ve shared. I saw her across a crowded room. I thought she might be looking at me and smiling, but I wasn’t sure. Later, when my friend and I were leaving, she was standing in the kitchen with her boyfriend. I took a chance and said, “Hey.” She smiled and said, “Hi.” Weeks later, we met in a class. I went up and talked to her, and the rest is history. We’re 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.

“Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, ‘It might have been.’”
― Kurt Vonnegut

Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Don’t play it safe because you’re afraid to get hurt, have your heart broken, fail, or look like a fool.

There’s nothing more painful than dying with regrets. Live large, my friends. Live large!

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Hi, I’m Larry Cornett, a 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 “Invincible You.” 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. I’m feeling ok now and got back on the slopes yesterday, despite a little voice in my head telling me, “Be careful!”

cornett

A post shared by Larry Cornett (@cornett)

Invincible Life

💡 Life Tip - Don't Play It Safe (Issue #23)