Life without regrets
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.”
At the end of last year, I faced one of the hardest decisions of my life.
A long time mentor of mine offered me the opportunity to invest in a business concept. He would put in the money, I would run the business. To most entrepreneurs, this is a dream come true. An experienced entrepreneur and investor on board from day one, what could be better?
Despite the amazing opportunity, the decision also brought along consequences. This meant that I would have to leave the company that I started building when I was 15 years old. This meant I would have to walk away from the team that I had grown to love. This meant I would have to leave everything behind.
The decision was not easy.
As I debated the decision over the course of several weeks, I turned to my mother for guidance and she gave me one amazing piece of advice. "Jake, if you don't take this opportunity this could be something that you regret for the rest of your life"
That sentence hit home for me. I realized how honored I was to have this opportunity, and how ready I was to try something new. Despite how much my previous company had defined my past, I was ready to create a new future.
I took the opportunity, and I ran with it. Throughout the whole experience, I learned a lot about entrepreneurship and business. As my past post explained, I also learned a whole lot about myself and what I want out of life.
At the end of the day, the business failed and it left me in a state of turmoil. Yet, even with the failed startup, the lost time and money, I couldn't help but think one thing.
If I passed up that opportunity, I would be disappointed in myself. I would be dreaming about what could have been.
Instead, I experienced a completely new type of business.
I experienced what it was like to be pushed out of my comfort zone.
I experienced more than I ever would have if I turned the opportunity down
Never in my life do I want to look back and be disappointed by the things that I didn't do. In both my professional and personal life, I want to live a life of adventure, I want to explore the unknown.
“Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”