How often do you decide not to do something?  Although there are things we avoid doing because they are not in our self-interest, are destructive, or have negative consequences, we avoid many other things we later regret not doing.

Procrastination is a leading cause of failing to act in your own best interest.  Putting things off until later is all too easy.  Other inconsequential activities may be distracting.  When you are young, time seems as if it’s infinite.  Then as you age, you feel you are too old to do those things that were appealing when you were younger.

You may put thi

ngs off while you wait for the right time, which invariably never arrives.  When engaging in this type of procrastination, you will use even the smallest excuses as reasons why now is not the right time.  As this process is repeated over and over, what you are putting off fades into the background, eventually being forgotten altogether.

Perhaps your reason is lack of time.  An interesting phenomenon is how the tasks before us expand to fill up our available time.  Therefore, if you don’t make time, you will find you never have enough time.

Fear of criticism is another reason for not doing something.  You limit yourself by being concerned about what other people will think or say.  You are worried about the negative comments you may get should you strive for something you really want.  So, you avoid pursing those objectives you feel will attract criticism.

You may actually start to work towards a goal only to abandon it in response to criticism.  Friends, relatives, and acquaintances often shower you with seemingly endless reasons as to why your quest is ill advised.  As a result, you begin to doubt yourself and the wisdom of your objective. 

The only people who are in a position to provide you with any meaningful advice are those individuals who are where you want to be.  Listening to suggestions from anyone else, as well meaning as they may be, will rarely help you reach your dreams.

In life, the things people regret most are usually not the things they did but more often the things they didn’t do.  Don’t look at your life as a practice run that offers an infinite timeframe.  Don’t shortchange yourself by not reaching out to grab your dreams.  You may already have a list of items you regret not accomplishing.  Don’t allow your list to get any bigger.

The things you want to do incorporate a wide range of areas.  Some of the things people regret not doing include not applying themselves sooner, not studying harder when in school, not doing what they really wanted to do, ignoring their gut intuition, not enjoying life more, not taking better care of their health, not spending enough time with family, and not taking more chances.

It doesn’t matter how old you are or what you have avoided in the past.  The most important consideration is where do you want to go from here?  Learn from your past experiences.  Stop avoiding things.  Start doing what you really want to do including those things you have been avoiding for whatever reason.

Don’t wait.  Time goes by too fast.  Be yourself.  Take more chances.  Reach out for your goals.  Tomorrow, you don’t want to look back at today and lament what you didn’t do.  Although you can’t increase the number of hours in a day, you can pack each day full of those things you really want to do.

NOW AVAILABLE:  "Dare to Live Without Limits," the book.  Visit www.BryanGolden.com or your bookstore. Bryan is a management consultant, motivational speaker, author, and adjunct professor. E-mail Bryan at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or write him c/o this paper.  2011 Bryan Golden

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