You’re more disappointed by things you didn’t do than by the ones you did

I really hope this point stands when I look back on life. I’ve noticed I often return to this saying when deciding whether or not to do something. Mark Twain put it like this:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.”

Especially in decisions that feel really big and hard in the moment, I believe this way of thinking helps. It is like taking a step back and looking at this moment from the future. Usually, it seems clear I will indeed regret it more if I didn’t do a certain thing.

Additionally, this rings true to me after 25 years of life. I can from the top of my head think of more things I wish I would’ve done than things I’m disappointed I did do. Somehow they feel different when judging afterward.

Maybe it is because when you do something you actually get to know the outcome — no matter if it is good or bad. It is like you get to read the whole story.

Whereas when you don’t do something you will never know how the story would end. It is just left there hanging in the air. You miss out on the entertainment value of knowing a full story — and you miss out on the learning experience of experiencing causal relationships between action and reality.

Thanks for reading and may your days be blessed.