There is nothing as frustrating and scary as starting over in life. Whether you are moving to a different place, changing careers, or even just trying something new, you find yourself second-guessing yourself and even starting to notice inadequate things that were never there before.

After working abroad and being an expat for a while, I found myself catching up with a friend and the move back to my home country scared me. We had the “what if conversation”. What if I fail? What if things don’t work the way I had planned? What if I don’t get a job? What if this is a mistake? And of course, I rambled more about my future What-ifs from wanting to start something new.

I remember she sighed, looked at me, and said, “Sure, there is a possibility that you will fail, but there is also a huge possibility that you won’t. And so, what if you fail? At least you would have tried and have no regrets.”

That conversation with her made me think about how much we hold ourselves back from trying new things out of fear of failure or thinking about what other people will say. Most of my self-doubt stemmed from the fear of other people’s opinions of me. This shows that it’s crazy how we are so fixated on how people will see us or think of us, and the truth is people don’t even care. Yes, some may say something but after some time they‘ll forget. The most important thing is that you have tried and at least you can express that I did that, and I have no regrets in this life.

This made me think about how time waits for no one. The more excuses we make, the more we let fear lead our lives, and the next moment in the future, we think about what life could’ve been like.

In the end, we are the ones who end up having regrets and having “I wish I could’ve done that”. So instead of you ending up having those feelings why not just do.

This brought me back to how I’m always scared when I try something new or different but as soon as I do it, I feel grateful and happy about it. Although I might feel hurt and disappointed when I don’t achieve the desired results. I will barely feel regretful because I tried my best and that’s all I can give myself. So this reminded me that we only have one life, either we go for it or end up regretting it for the rest of our lives.

It’s crazy now that I have taken this step and new journey I’m excited and even though I might feel exhausted along the way I will still push. I always want to remind myself that I’m a go-getter, I might not always get the intended result but I’ll still be proud of myself for taking this step, and even though there are huddles, I can still say “I came! I saw! I conquered or maybe I didn’t but most importantly I did it”.

So each time I end up having what-if moments, I remind myself of William Hung’s quote

“I already gave my best. I have no regrets at all.”

This helps make me more optimistic and want to give my best in everything I try.

After reading this, I hope this inspires you to do what you’ve been fearful or scared to do. Don’t live your life thinking of things you could have done, do now. That‘s the best gift you can give yourself.