The other day I enjoyed a wonderful get together with some good friends. It was an awesome time. At one point in the conversation someone brought up the old saying, "If I could only do it over again, how different I would do it." I couldn't relate. I shocked everyone in attendence when I mentioned that I personally have no regrets and nothing that I'd like to do over again or do differently in my life. They all seemed really suprised and asked me why. I told them that everything that I've experienced has made me in to who I am, and I wouldn't change that for anything. And I personally view that as a great way to live.
I've had this conversation with a number of people in the past and many times they'll question me on some of the major events that have occured in my life. A lot of times people will ask if I'd have changed anything leading up to when I broke my back. And, truth be told, no I wouldn't. Yes, at the time it hurt like hell and it sucked. Rehabing sucked even more. But breaking my back was one of the best things to ever happen to me. I learned a great deal about things in my life that I was doing wrong, what the human spirit is really capable of and what really matters in life. Things I may not have learned about without this incident happening.
I tend to look at any of the "negative" things or "failures" that I've experienced in life in the same way. I've learned much more from these events than I ever had from the successes. I tend to look at it as God and nature want to teach me what I need to learn in order to become the person that they want me to be. I'm a little stubborn though, so sometimes they have to slap me across the cheek and really teach me the hard way.
I've also been asked, "Well, don't you wish that you had started dating Melissa sooner, or that she had come into your life sooner?" And again, I'd say no. We started our relationship exactly when we were supposed to. When she first came into my life I was a young, insecure, immature punk. I needed to grow into being a man before her and I started our relationship.
I've also been asked (back when Melissa and I were still competing professionally on the dancsport circuit), "Brett, don't you wish that you started dancing as a kid. Imagine where you'd be right now if you had." Again, no. Dance came into my life at the exact time it was supposed to. Had I started when I was a kid I probably would have been burned out by it and moved on to other things in my life before I was an adult. Having found it when I did was perfect.
Now, I'm not saying that I have any secrets to life or that I'm perfect or anything like that. I just know that I love who I am and I love my life. I also know that I love the direction that my life is heading and where it's going. All of this is a product of everything (both good and bad) that has happened up until this point and I wouldn't change a thing. It's a wonderful feeling when you can look back and truly say, "I have no regrets and I wouldn't change a thing."
I'll talk with you more later.
Yours in strength and health,
Brett Stepan
No comments:
Post a Comment