They say that our biggest regrets are the things we didn’t do. That’s an oversimplification. Our biggest regrets are the things we knew we could have done but were too scared to do. Written even better by Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.”

Social media traps us in a world where we have to try everything and be everything to feel fulfilled, but that is not true. Wanting too many different things is often the reason we don’t achieve much.

The perfect balance is to take big risks in whatever you are currently focussing on and try to keep stability in everything else.

Need to improve your finances? Push for promotions. Jump jobs, start a side hustle, invest in yourself and things that have big potential.

Need to improve your social life? Go travelling, stay in hostels, push yourself to talk to X number of people a day, join sociable clubs or sports. Try to find out deep things about the people you meet rather than just small talk.

Want a relationship? Ask people out, don’t take rejection personally, go to social events, be vulnerable and focus on having fun. You want to find someone who you would mutually add to each other’s life so find someone who excites you and you excite them.

Need to improve your health? Make a diet that works for you, find a highly active sport that you enjoy sweating over, do that meditation camp that you thought was for hippies only. Find a therapist even if you are embarrassed or think that they won’t help.

Got dreams? Do them imperfectly. If you want to be a singer but haven’t got the talent? Go to karaoke bars. Want to do some extreme sport but not sure if it is actually for you? Do a taster session – pay whatever it is even if it is expensive.

The caveat is this – try to do all these things at the same time and you will burn out. Why? Because whenever we put ourselves in risky situations, there will be times when we “lose” the battle. Things won’t go our way. If you put yourself in chaotic situations in all areas of life, you will eventually have a bad streak which will ruin everything. That happens regardless if you make good choices or not. Sometimes the right decision still leads to bad outcomes.

If you only put yourself in high risk situation in one area of life at a time, it is much easier to weather the losing streaks. The stability from making small incremental improvements in other areas will keep your core strong and allow you to eventually make the big gains in the area you are focussing on. Then when you reach a level you are happy with, maintain it and find something else to take risks on.

The summary is this. If you don’t take any risks at all, you will regret missing out on