Fear lasts an afternoon, regret lasts ten years

Fear and regret are both uncomfortable emotions, but they have completely different lifespans. Fear lasts for an afternoon, but regret can last for ten years. Yet we trade the short discomfort for the long pain every single day.

Fear rarely announces itself honestly. It dresses itself up as a moral principle or intellectual excuse: "that's not really me," or "it's not the right time." We invent rational explanations to keep from admitting that we are simply afraid.

At seventeen, my school class planned a trip to India. I was terrified of flying, so I claimed that air travel was environmentally immoral and stayed home. The fear would have lasted for twelve hours on the plane; the regret of missing that journey has stayed with me for years.

Take the decision you are currently avoiding and write down your reason. Then ask yourself: did that reason genuinely exist before the opportunity arrived, or did it show up right after you felt scared? Check out my book Why I Love in the link below.