The Worst Thing I Ever Did Was

If you had the chance to travel back in time and change one thing in your life, what would it be?

If someone gave me a chance to travel back in time, I honestly don’t know where I would begin. There are probably a lot of moments I would want to revisit—not necessarily because they were terrible, but because I wonder what would have happened if I had made a different decision.

The worst thing I ever did was spending too much time thinking about the things I should have done instead of appreciating what I actually have. 

Too many what-ifs in life, the things I wished I had handled differently and the opportunities I didn’t take because of negative thoughts came first. Sometimes, it feels like if we could just go back for five minutes, we could fix everything.

But life doesn’t really work that way.

Before writing this post, I generally enumerate the things I would change if I were given a chance to travel back in time. Both decisions and missed opportunities have the most common answer based on the results. Second, a relationship I wish I could fix from the past, and some things I would not change.

The Things I Wish I Could Change

There are moments in my life when I wish I had been braver. I wish I had said yes to opportunities instead of allowing fear and overthinking to make decisions for me. Sometimes, I wonder where I would be now if I had trusted myself a little more.

I think one of the hardest parts about growing up is realizing that you cannot always know whether you are making the right decision. At the time, you simply do what you think is best with the knowledge, emotions, and courage you have.

Then, years later, you look back and suddenly think, Why did I do that?

But maybe that is also part of becoming who we are.

The person I was before made decisions that the person I am now might not understand. However, I have to remember that I did not know then what I know now.

If I Could Go Back in Time

If I could travel back in time, would I actually change something?

Honestly, maybe.

There are things I regret. I would probably tell my younger self to stop being so afraid of making mistakes. I would tell myself not to waste so much time worrying about what other people think. I would tell myself to take more pictures, enjoy more moments, and appreciate the people around me.

But at the same time, changing one mistake might also change everything that came after it.

Maybe the worst decisions we make eventually teach us the lessons we needed to learn.

So, instead of wishing I could completely rewrite my past, I think I would simply want to visit it. I would sit beside my younger self and say, You have no idea how much is waiting for you.

Because maybe the worst thing I ever did was not making a mistake.

Maybe it was believing that making mistakes meant my life was ruined.

And if I could go back in time, that is the one thing I would want to change.