Regrets

Has there ever been a time in your life where you looked back on an opportunity that you didn't take and wished that you had taken it? I wish that you had taken the step, the chance done the thing. Because now you're filled with the regret of not having done it, not having taken the risk not having taken the chance to see what would happen. What if I had?

What if I had done that thing? What if I had said yes to the opportunity.

I want to look into this concept today of what holds us back from doing things. What holds us back from doing things that we really want to do? Fear, it all boils down to that fear in some way. And back in 2005, I was in Italy for a three week trip with my then soon to be husband. We actually got engaged on that trip to Italy. And we spent an entire week in Venice. It was magical. My husband, born and raised in Italy speaks fluent Italian. So we could go back into the back the back parts of Venice, where the Venetians live and we could eat the restaurants where the Venetians eat and see how they live. It was it was truly this fantastic, phenomenal trip, we got to leave the beaten path of the of all the tourist tourist area and really go back and sit and talk with the Venetians. I listened, I didn't know Italian, but my husband would speak and then they would speak to him and he would translate with me or for me, and it was just, it was an amazing trip. I could have just picked up and moved to Venice right then in there, all the boats and getting to restaurants by way of boat because it's the city is in the water and the water is raising or the city is sinking, whichever one is happening, but the steps to a lot of the hotels, you go up in a boat or into the restaurants and then you get out the boat and you walk the steps because a lot of the steps are under the water. It was just truly an amazing place. And if you've ever been to Venice, or if you've seen pictures of Venice, if you know anything about Venice, you know that there are gondola rides. And these these gondola gondoliers, the gondoliers, that's the word I was looking for, are in full garb, and they are so anxious to take you out on this gondola ride. And they stand there over this on this bridge where all the golden arches are parked, or whatever, you know, with a gondola, and the golden leaves are standing there and they're going going to the gondola gondola gondola, and they want you to come and take this ride, which they absolutely promise you is going to be the most romantic, amazing ride. And every time we pass by, this was in 2005. Every time they were passed by they would offer us this gondola ride $100 100 American dollars for this gondola ride. And I said no every time not because I didn't want to take the gondola ride. I wanted to with everything in me. I wanted to experience everything about Vinnitsa.

But I was so afraid to spend that $100 I just started out a job I was making $9.50 an hour. I was terrified to spend the money. Terrified. We had it. We had money to spend on that trip. But I was so afraid to let go of it and take that ride. And we left Venis never having gap never having gotten that ride with the gondolier on the gondola. I always said and and in our hotel room, we would talk and I'd say we can come back again when we have more money. When things are better. We'll come back we'll be back soon. My husband had family there. He still does. The plan was to come back within a year a year and a half at the most. And so that is when we will do the gondola ride. And so we plan that and we left Venice and then Italy without ever having taken that gondola ride. And then life happened. We're going through divorces and custody battles. My brother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and he passed away three years later. Then my dad died after that. My mom needed help my mom moved in with us there was so much going on in our lives. The when we have yet to get back to Italy. We have yet to get back to Italy. 2005 to 2021.

And I still haven't taken the ride on the gondola. I regret that I spent the bulk of my energy talking myself out of why talking myself out of the row out of the ride, giving myself every excuse in the book coming up with spending my energy coming up with excuses why I shouldn't go on the gondola why we shouldn't do it. All of my energy went into why we shouldn't every bit of it. And now all these years later, I so regret not going on that gondola ride. And yes, we are planning a trip back. And yes, we will get on that gondola. I've no idea what it cost. Now, I don't care.

At this point. I have spent years regretting that. You see we spend so much time and energy, talking ourselves out of things. We spend so much time and energy making excuses of why we shouldn't rather than giving ourselves the excuses and the reasons of why we should take that risk. Look into that opportunity. If you don't do it. If you don't take the risk, you will never know. You will never know there is no bad investment. There's investments you learn more from than others. Everything is a learning opportunity. Everything is in 2020 I decided it was going to be my year of Yes. Before the lockdown before I knew we were headed for a lockdown. I decided it was going to be my year of Yes. And it was it was insane. The things that came across my plate start a podcast. Yes. Start a book. Yes. Start a CBD line. Okay. Everything every opportunity that came across my plate that felt like I need to do this. I took the chance. Did they all work out? Like I thought they would no, no, my CBD line definitely did not turn out the way I thought it would when they when the manufacturing company said they were going to go a different way. And I was like, okay, so what do I do? close up shop. I learned an amazing lesson. And amazing lesson. It was not it was not a bad investment. It was an investment that didn't go the way I thought it would and that's okay. But I took the chance. I don't have to look back in 10 years from now and say I wonder what would have happened if I'd said yes. I wonder what would have happened if if I hadn't said yes, I am going to write a book this book the radical empowerment method never would have been here. Say yes to you.

Take the opportunities, take the chances make them happen. let life happen for you. In every way. I was talking with someone today I was getting my hair done and I was talking with someone in the shop. And they were saying that their a loved one of theirs had an opportunity to do an overseas trip years and years and years and years ago. And for a multitude of reasons. It never materialized. And now all these years later, another opportunity came in front of her and man she pushed that submit button. She was not going to miss another chance. Listen. A lot of times we use money as our as our excuse to hold us back money is energy. Money is energy. There is always a way to create money you can sell something, you can save some you can create something to sell. You can create an online course you can write a book you can there are so many different things. Don't let that excuse hold you back. We are we are amazingly creative beings. I hear people say sometimes and I have said this I don't have a creative bone in my body y'all. Yes you do. If you are a living breathing human being you are creatives. Yes you are and don't let anybody take that from you. We use the excuse of money we we use the excuse of time, we use the excuse of I don't know how Hello Google. You have ways to find out how to do the things you want to do. Ask someone Hey, do you know how I write a book? Do you know how that's how I did it? I just started asking around. And once I started asking God Spirit universe sent it to me.

It's not going to send what it doesn't know you want. Ask? Ask. the excuse of time, excuse of money. The excuse of I don't know how the excuse of who's going to do it with me. Maybe nobody. Maybe this is solo. Maybe this is a solo episode. And that's okay. You have everything it takes. You have everything it takes to make your life the most amazing, amazing life that ever existed. You have to take the steps though, to invite that into your life. Have the fun, have the fun, take the chance. I'm not going to miss another gondola ride, whether it's a real gondola, a true gondola or something else.

My missed opportunities are that are that gondola ride with that Italian gondolier. Those are those are my missed opportunities. That's what I call them. And I'm not missing another gondola ride. Don't miss another gondola ride in your life. Take the opportunities. Two things I want you to think about when you are thinking about an opportunity that you have two things, one, imagine yourself a week, a year a day, however long you want to do from now. Number one, when you look back, how do you feel? I want you to journal this, how do you feel having missed it? And two, how do you feel having jumped in and taken the chance? Really get real with yourself. I missed another opportunity recently very recently, of a trip that I wanted to take and I decided not to do it. And let me tell you, when I woke up the morning that morning when I knew that I I wanted to have been in this different place. And I didn't go for a lot of those reasons I just gave you time was the biggest one. I felt so deflated. Because I knew where my heart and soul was poor was pulling me. And I knew I had let my self get into my head. I had let this take over. This gets us in trouble guys. I overthought it I came up with all the reasons why it shouldn't happen. Except for the one good reason that it needed to happen. And that was that I knew I knew I was supposed to be there and missed another gondola ride. Ah, we're all working process. I am determined to miss no more gondola rides. I am determined to not have those regrets. Take the chance, take the risk, do the dang thing. Get out there and live the life you were created to live. I challenge you. Good deep in your journals. If I miss this opportunity, this is how I will feel. If I take this opportunity, this is how I will feel weigh it out. You'll get your answer. And if the answer is go for it, jump in. I don't believe in being fearless. Because I think it's always there.

I believe in racing into the fear. I believe in running into it full force all your mind meeting it head on, stop missing the gondola rides, take your life and live it with everything you have everything. Write the books, start the business, hire the coach, do the thing that you've been putting off, do the thing you've been putting off. My husband and I have talked about a trip since we met each other. So in nearly 20 years, we have talked about a trip that we want to take. We leave on April 11 for this trip, more details coming on that as we go forward. I'm going to journal the whole thing will be gone for a couple of months doing something that we've planned on doing for so long. It's time it was time when we first talked about it. But they came up with every excuse why it couldn't happen. Instead of looking for the reasons why it should and how to make it happen.

And that's my challenge to you. No regrets. No regrets, live your life. I love you. I am your biggest fan and we will talk again soon.