It's okay to wonder about the opportunities you didn't take

We all had dreams. When we were younger, we all had some grand idea of how are life would go, where we would be, and what we would do. As kids, they all seemed so possible because we had a firm idea and plenty of time to do it. There was no such thing as impossible.

Now, as we got older, of course we realized most of the dreams were out there. If you dreamed about being a doctor, lawyer, nurse, etc., then yeah, your dreams were reasonably attainable. For the kids who wanted to be astronauts, movie stars, or solve world hunger, it was a little more out of reach. Sometimes, we all have to just grow up.

But, what about the little dreams we all had along the way?

Along the journey of life, we all have wants, goals, and desires. Sure, they may not be as lofty as the big picture, but the beauty of these is that they are there, within our grasp. For some, they want to own a motorcycle or a sports car. For others, it may be owning a house or running a business. Those dreams could be a simple as having four dogs, getting married, and/or having kids. Yet some can be as large as becoming wealthy or living in a big city. These are the things that really drive us to move forward.

In life, there are times when the path to these become real. We may have an opportunity to buy that car we wanted, adopt that adorable dog, or move to that city we always dreamed about. But, it also may happen that we make the choice not to take those chances. Maybe it wasn't the right time for that dog, maybe something was more important than that move, and maybe the money was better spent than on that car. Life is ever changing and ever evolving; that dream may not be the right dream at the right time.

Years down the road, you may think about those opportunities long past, and my point in all of this is to tell you that it is okay to think, "What if?". It is okay to wonder about the chances you didn't take, or miss the opportunities you passed up. It doesn't make you a bad person to think about what could have been, and it certainly doesn't mean you made the wrong choice in the first place. It is human nature to question, and it is human nature to dream. Look around and appreciate all the good that has come from the choices you did make. But, never feel remorse for simply thinking about the choices you didn't.