I put this index card in my wallet about ten years ago. I was at a point in my life (one of many) where I had some big decisions to make and I came across this quote, stuck on the refrigerator at a friend's house. Man, those words just reached out and grabbed a hold of me and never really let go. I keep this quote in my wallet and pull it out from time to time when I'm mulling over some decision or just want to think back to that time in my life and bring up some great memories. I think my handwriting is pretty good, but in case you can't read the quote, here's what it says...
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things 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."
- Mark Twain
I just really dig this quote. For the most part, it's really a call to action - "throw off...", "sail away...", "catch the trade winds..." But what I'm most taken by is the first sentence. It's really about regret. Can you imagine the feeling of looking back on your life and thinking about the "what ifs" and the "If I had only done..."? I guess you could say that Mark Twain had this YOLO thing down before YOLO was cool!
So I'm going through one of those phases now and I pulled this quote out of my wallet again to chew on it a bit. Works for me. May not work for you.
Hit me in the comments. What works for you? Any quotes or nuggets of wisdom you want to share? I'm always looking for new, great quotes.