You are the Reason

'Voluntary Decisions reduces Involuntary Regrets’

is a phrase I said once over the last couple of weeks and has been stuck in my head since.

I had my 25th Birthday last week and I am someone who dreads birthdays ever since I turned 21. Because all I could think of during my birthday was how I did not get to the place I promised myself.

The pain is like a punch to the gut with a HUGE fist.

(Me aiming an arrow at a target yesterday. Kinda ironical.)

I even skipped work that day hoping to avoid the ritual of ‘Cutting the Cake’ and ‘How do you feel now that you are a year older’ conversations. 🎂

All the age old sayings and phrases like; ‘You cannot buy back time’ and ‘You should make the best of your current situation and not waste it’ made sense on a very deep sense.

I cannot get back the time I’ve lost. EVER. NEVER IN MY LIFE AGAIN!  🤯

Neither can you. That is such a big reason for us to take steps, take Action.

It's such a simple thing that we know already, but we need to keep reminding ourselves about it to actually understand the magnitude of it.

And the phrase ‘Voluntary Decisions reduces Involuntary Regrets’ was something I came up with in regards to this whole scenario.

If YOU consciously and voluntarily make decisions, whether it be;

• You choosing to spend time with family.

• You choosing to put in the work for a particular amount of time in a day.

• You staying up late scrolling through IG Reels/TikTok

• You choosing to skip the gym knowing the consequences.

Then you will get to choose your Regrets.

You will get to grab life by its balls and fully control how and where it goes.

If you chose to spend time with your family, then you consciously made the decision to do that and the regret you would have for making that decision would be not spending time alone.

If you chose to stay up late scrolling through IG Reels, then you consciously made a decision to do that and the regret you would have for making that decision would be not sleeping sooner and taking care of your health.

You get the point now.

Every Voluntary decision you make, you choose the regrets you face.

That is the beautiful part. You get to choose. 🍃

I’m being more conscious of the decisions I make in my day to day life when it comes to how I talk and communicate with people, how much leeway I give to myself when I don’t do things I know I should etc.

I hope you understand that our time is SO LIMITED and WE CANNOT GET IT BACK.

It’s nice to have the leisure days. But what are you being leisure for? Did you do something that you are proud of? Did you do something that created a beautiful memory that you will ACTUALLY cherish at 80? Did you make someone else proud of who you have become?

If not, Time is ticking. ⏰

I’m looking forward to the next 75 years of trying to make voluntary decisions.

You have a good week.

(I didn't re-read this draft cause I didn't want to modify any of my thoughts as I was writing it. So if it's a bit harsh, It's cause I was talking to myself)

Tata,

Kapil.