I love to read the comics on Sunday (and every other day as well). I don't usually read them all but I do have a few favorites that I am faithful to. One of them is "Dilbert". Maybe it is because I left the corporate world (took a risk) and can now laugh at the things that used to stress me out when I was in the middle of them. It is amazing how close to reality the comic is. But I suppose it is because real people write to Scott Adams with their real work problems and "can you believe he or she did this?" stories that make it so great. It is good to be able to laugh at the craziness around us.
Along with "Peanuts" and "Garfield" I occasionally catch "Funky Winkerbean". Today it is the story of a student at a book signing. The author asks if she is a student and she replies "yes, I want to teach music, but I'm not sure that I have what it takes to be a band director". The author tells her you never know until you try and to err on the side of confidence. She asks "what if I fail?". He replies that "it is a possibility but just make sure that it's a failure of risk rather than a failure of timidity". Not doing is as much of a risk as doing.
I recently wrote about my adventures in trapeze flying. It is not surprising that the same feelings that arise when you are about to take a physical risk are similar to the feelings that arise when we take a personal risk. We may be about to change our career or tell someone what we really think or make a change to something that has worked for years. Those same feelings of anxiety, tightness in the chest, fast heartbeat and shaking can happen with any of those choices. Not doing can also produce those feelings. My girlfriend stood at the top of the platform several times. She hesitated every time the trapeze flyers said "hep" - for jump! Finally, near the end of our flying time, she jumped and loved every minute of it. She was upset with herself for hesitating all of the previous times.
Don't regret the things you didn't say or didn't try. Take a chance and enjoy the flight!