You Can’t Screw Up
An argument for going after what you want
A friend of mine recently shared that her college-aged daughter is full of angst, even though outwardly she doesn’t show it.
“Not surprising,” was the gist of my reply, recalling my own experiences of that stage of life.
What was surprising to me, however, was my friend’s reply when I asked her the nature, or source, of her daughter’s anxiety.
She told me that her daughter lives in a world of “woulda, shoulda, coulda” — essentially second-guessing all of the decisions she has made and feeling constant discontent about her situation.
“And she’s how old??” I asked.
One would think such regret could only be acquired with the passage of a certain number of years, as one drifts further and further away from the ideals of youth — not while one is still in her youth.
Yet how many of us, regardless of age, ruminate on pointless what ifs and if I had onlys?
My guess is most — or all — of us do, just to varying degrees.
So I humbly offer up a suggestion for countering such unhelpful, and potentially crippling, obsessive thoughts.
It all boils down to a four-word mantra:
