Do you regret something?

A friend once asked me if I have any regrets. When I thought about it, I was focused on how happy I was in that moment and realized that if something had been different, I probably wouldn’t be in this place. I’m not saying that my life was perfect or anything like that; I’m just saying that if my crush hadn’t rejected me or if the recruiter for that job I wanted hadn’t ghosted me, I probably wouldn’t be who I am today. It’s like in the movie The Flash when Barry tells Batman that he can go back to the past and fix everything, even save his parents. Batman responds, “Those scars we have make us who we are,” and “Don’t live in your past, live your life.”

Wasted potential

After saying all that, yes, I do have regrets. I regret not being consistent in the things that mattered most to me. I regret not practicing my hobbies for long periods and, after a year, seeing my progress was almost nonexistent.

Last week, I was looking at how good I was at drawing two years ago, and right now, I’m in the same or even a worse position. In that moment, I told myself: I don’t ever want to feel that way again—the feeling of seeing all the wasted potential and how good I could be if only I had been consistent.

I’m writing this post as a reminder of how good you can become if you only put in the effort.