A few days ago, I was having dinner with my friend, Michael. We chatted about our futures including our job search and I mentioned I was considering two companies. He said one of the most important things anyone has ever said to me. “If you are sure about something, do it now. Then you don’t have to worry about it later.”
You see, I’m someone who worries about everything. I even worry about things I shouldn’t worry about and then worry about the fact that I’m worrying about it. For the most part, it makes me quite high functioning. I tend to do homework/projects in advance, always go to bed early and try to keep up a healthy lifestyle. However, it also means that I rarely take risks, even if the outcome can be beneficial. I hesitate to apply to certain high caliber jobs, tell a guy I have a crush on him or even tell someone that I disagree with a point they made in a conversation. My brain tends to do this weird thing where it gives me all the possible consequences for my actions and, of course, I dwell on all the negative. Which is why, when Michael said that to me, it really changed my way of thinking.
I said to myself, why do I wait to act on something even though deep down I know what I want. What exactly am I protecting myself from by not taking that plunge sooner rather than later? I remember my advisor, Kaplan, said that there are some things we should “do now and ask for forgiveness later.” I think for other worriers like me, I want to give you this advice. If there is a tough decision you have to make, look deep inside and figure out what you really want and do it. Even if everyone wants you to do something else, remember it is your life not theirs. And if, let’s say in the case of a crush or a disagreement with friend, doesn’t turn out the way you expected, you can always be comforted in the fact that you acted in the way you thought was fit.
Really, that’s all that matters.