“Nothing in life is promised except death” - Kanye West
Death–The impromptu end of a story. Most people view death as something they try their absolute hardest to avoid or even think about, but to me, it serves as a stark reminder that our time here is limited and that we must make use of it. In a grim way, it is almost a poetic motivator; The final end is what gets me to start the things that I would have pushed aside for the next day, because the next day is never guaranteed.
As senior year is nearing its end, I am swept back by an inevitable wave of nostalgia and reflection. I mean, who wouldn’t be? The culmination of years of hard work, experience, and friendships is coming to its bittersweet end. Amidst the celebrations, I often find myself at the mercy of a subtle yet powerful feeling: regret. Regret often stems from chances not taken, whether that be a class I probably should’ve chosen, a club I should’ve joined, or a conversation I should’ve started. These seemingly unimportant decisions can accumulate into a huge tapestry of what-ifs that haunt not just me, but many other students as we prepare to step into the next chapter of their lives. Despite how painful regret is, it is important to recognize that it can also be a powerful motivator; a catalyst for change that urges people to take risks and seize opportunities.
Mark Twain once said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Funnily enough, I found this quote within Minecraft’s end-credit poem, but that’s beside the point. I try to live life by this quote; I don’t want to end up regretting the choices I didn’t make, but at the same time it is so hard to make the choice. Merriam-Webster defines taking a chance as “to do something that could have either good or bad results”. For all the chances that are taken throughout life, there are bound to be a handful of failures. Growing up as a first-generation Asian-American with immigrant parents, I got it beaten into my brain that failure was unacceptable, and anything less than perfect was considered failure. This kind of learned action is what cemented the fear of failure into my childhood self, and it has persisted until, well, it keeps persisting. My fear of failure will never go away and as a result, it keeps me from taking every chance I see. The only thing that gets me to do things is my fear of regret, which I view as so much more impactful than any fear of failure. I would much rather live with the shame of failing for a month or so as it will eventually disappear, but regret– it’s hard to lose.
I think this is why I’m so keen on these kinds of risks. Sure you might fail, but just think of what could happen if you beat the odds and win. All the happiness that could come your way and all the new memories you will look back on all because you decided to step out of your comfort zone and take that chance. I guess what I’m really trying to get across is to always take a chance; try that restaurant that you think might be good, audition for the role you want so badly, ask out that one special person. You won’t be able to go anywhere in life without taking a
chance, so when you find yourself debating whether or not you should take it–think, why the hell not?
Work Cited:
https://genius.com/Kanye-west-47th-annual-grammy-speech-annotated https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/discussion/170810-mark-twains-q uote-in-minecraft-credits-is-made-by https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20a%20chance
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