Blog #517: Spilling My Guts

Twice…
I screwed up big time.

Of course…

I’ve had 1,000+ baby screw-ups where I’ve said the wrong thing or done the wrong thing and it embarrassingly or painfully cost me…but TWO distinct screw-ups hit my life extra hard and deep.

Let me spill my guts.

#1. Thirty years ago…
I lived a uniquely unforeseeable moment that 100% required me to show good judgement and keep my mouth closed; I 100% chose the opposite. I lost my composure, my outburst became ultra-public…and I shamefully lost a State Assembly race I had in the bag. The nasty loss killed my passion to run for political office ever again.

#2. Seventeen years ago…
I made a bad business decision that dramatically affected over 500 people’s lives. In trying to take the easy route, my monumentally bad decision hurt them and also cost me far over a million dollars.

Both aftershocks rocked me deeply.
Both disasters forced me to reinvent myself.

And start over.
______

For a long while after each screw-up…

I beat myself up pretty bad. Still now…in my weakest of moments…I disappear back to the years 1992 and 2007, and wonder what would have happened if I had made the right decision at the right moment.

We all have “I wish I had…” moments where we wish for a do-over.

In every scenario that my brain imagines, if I had made a different decision in the moment…my life would be on a different course than it is now. BUT…if neither kick in the face had happened, I might never have started this blog.

Serendipity?

I can think so NOW.
I didn’t think so THEN.
______

Those crazy, life-altering “I wish I had…” moments, huh?

The deep-down truth is…

It’s useless to think about them.
It’s also human to think about them.

BUT…

No matter how much you and I dwell on our past “I wish I had…” moments, not a single one of our past regrets can be erased or changed.

They live as they live.

“I wish I had…” wishes are energy-sappers leading to useless self-pity.
______

BUT (and this is a HUGE “BUT”)…

There is ONE “I wish…” thought which does have the power to generate the opposite feeling inside us and a completely powerful feel-amazing outcome.

Fill in this blank line:

“I wish I would ______.”

THAT is the “I wish…” to focus on.
THAT is your future-changer.

Whatever you wish you’d do…do it.
Whatever you’d fill in on the line…that’s your destiny-changing moment.

Want it?

Live your ______ (line).

And make darn sure it never ends up on your “I wish I had…” list.