Would you rather try and fail, or not try at all and regret it later? Use this framework to make key decisions.
Try - To attempt to do or accomplish.
Fail - To fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted, desired, or approved.
Regret - To think of with a sense of loss.
Decision - The act or process of deciding by making a judgement.
When faced with a big life decision, we can back ourselves into a corner and make no decision at all.
When we reach this position of stagnation, ask yourself: “would I rather try to achieve this goal and fail, or not try at all?”. At least if you try and fail, and you gave it your best effort, you know it wasn’t meant to be. If you don’t try at all, you’ll question what could have been.
We might think if we pursue and fail, that we’ve lost time. But we gain valuable skills, lessons, and new opportunities in these pursuits. In fact, it’s by not attempting at all that we lose the most through the regret we feel. Failure is a temporary setback, but regret lingers.
Do yourself a favour, and start today. If the downside to this decision you ponder isn’t irreversible, take the leap. Otherwise, you might wonder what could have been.