You Only Get One Shot: Betting On Yourself Before Regret Becomes The Loudest Voice

Whatever age you are right now, reading this… that’s time you’ll never get back. And whatever age you’ll be when you die, that’s your final chance.

No sugar‑coating. That’s harsh? Good. Because most people live like they’ve got infinite lives saved up somewhere—on pause, ready when everything’s perfect.

If you’re here, I’m not trying to comfort you. I’m giving you what you need to hear—not what you want. Because in the end, the hardest truths are often the ones that change you. I didn’t become a writer to fill pages with lies or excuses. I became one to show the value of one life. Yours. Mine. All of ours.

And part of that value is facing this fact: life is limited. You’re running out of time. Act accordingly.

The Disease of Delay: Why Waiting Always Costs More

I see it all around me. People postponing things because of fear, or because of made‑up rules. Postponing:

• the conversation they need to have

• the trip they want to take

• the business they sense inside them

• the relationship they believe could elevate their life

Always waiting for “the right time.” Spoiler: it never comes.

While you wait, the world keeps spinning. Your fears grow. Your excuses get comfortable. Your life shrinks.

I remember having dinner with my grandfather before he passed. He told me something that shook me:

“Son, I spent 40 years worried about what other people thought of me. Then one day I realized, they weren’t thinking about me at all—they were too busy worrying about what I thought of them.”

Imagine wasting 40 years—your one life—trapped in other people’s imaginary opinions.

Regret’s Remorse: What People Almost Always Say at the End

Here’s what I’ve learned from talking with people in their 70s, 80s — those who’ve had enough time to look back:

• They don’t regret risks they took. They regret risks they didn’t take.

• They don’t regret travelling too much. They regret not seeing more of the world when their body, mind, and guts still believed it possible.

• They don’t regret saying “I love you” more. They regret not saying it enough.

• They don’t regret starting that business, writing that book, or changing careers. They regret staying comfortable instead of betting on themselves.

The pattern is always the same: regret comes from inaction, not action.

Because action teaches you something, no matter the outcome. You grow. You stretch. You become more interesting. More alive. More resilient.

Inaction leaves you only with “what ifs”:

“What if I had moved to that city?”
“What if I’d asked her out?”
“What if I’d quit that soul‑crushing job?”
“What if I’d started something that scared me?”

“What if.” The most expensive words in the English language.

Fear Lies. Here’s What Actually Happens When You Face It

Fear is mostly fiction. The scenarios you dread? 99% of them never happen. The 1% that do? You handle them. You adapt.

Humans are built to survive: breakups, job losses, failed projects, financial setbacks — we overcome. But we’re terrible at overcoming the obstacles we build in our own heads.

I used to be terrified of public speaking. Terrified. Physically ill. Avoided it whenever possible. But then I asked: What’s the worst thing that can happen? I stumble. Say something stupid. Sweaty palms. Boo‑hoo.

Compared to the regret of never sharing ideas that could help people? That’s nothing.

So I forced myself into speaking gigs. Now? I seek them. Because discomfort is growth. And growth is the only insurance against a life you’ll regret.

Same with travelling alone. I thought it’d be lonely. Unsafe. But some of my best memories came from solo trips: new conversations, internal revelations, proving I could stand on my own. Those experiences became part of who I am.

The Paradox of Relationships: What We Leave Unsaid

Relationships reveal fear differently than career or business.

How many people are walking around with unexpressed feelings—maybe you are one of them—afraid to tell someone they care about them because it might not be mutual?

Truth is: if it isn’t mutual, you gain clarity. If it is mutual, you gain connection. Both are better than limbo.

I’ve told people I didn’t know if they’d say it back. Sometimes they did. Sometimes not. But I never regretted being honest.

The people I do regret? The ones I never told.

Career, Purpose & The Comfort Trap

Most people stay where they hate because leaving feels risky.

Risk of what?

• Learning new things

• Facing uncertainty

• Possibly failing

Versus the certain outcome of staying in a job that drains you, wastes your energy, dims your light.

The math is obvious — but fear distorts clarity.

I once worked as a waiter in a high‑end Italian restaurant at 16. It paid well. I thought it was good enough. But inside, I was dying a little every day.

Years later, by betting on myself — writing, building, shifting — I earn more, work fewer hours, and some mornings wake up excited.

Meanwhile, many people who warned me about the risk are still stuck in the same place they hated. Same Monday dread, same internal ache. Wishing.

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Earlier

If I had known then what I know now, these are truths I would have clung to:

1. Comfort is overrated. Comfortable misery is still misery. Growth demands discomfort.

2. Discomfort is information. When you feel scared, uncertain, stretched—that’s your soul telling you something matters.

3. Take the actions you’re avoiding. Not when conditions are perfect. Today.

4. One regret outlasts all others: the things you didn’t do.

Your Decision Right Now

So what are you going to do?

• Start the project that’s been on your mind for months but you keep postponing.

• Have that difficult conversation.

• Book the ticket, take the leap, move somewhere new.

• Tell the person. Ask for the raise. Learn the skill. Say yes. Say no.

Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not when it feels “safe.” Today.

Because tomorrow isn’t promised.

You could live a long life full of stories. Or you might wake up one day wishing you had.

Which life do you want?

I’d rather struggle building something I believe in, than coast in something that kills me inside.

You only get one life. Make it count.

Build It Like You Mean It — Action Steps

Here’s how to take this fire in your chest and turn it into something you act on:

The Shadow Always Chases You

At the end, you live with your choices. Every “no,” every “not yet,” every avoided risk — those build up.

The opinions you fear, the judgment you imagine, the tragedies you think will happen — none of those deserve the power you give them.

Trust yourself. Bet on yourself. Choose yourself.

Because you only get one life. Your time’s ticking.

What are you doing today?

Why This Mindset Matters for IMMachines

As a creator, coach, consultant, solopreneur — your edge isn’t always in knowing more. It’s in choosing more. Choosing boldly. Choosing imperfectly. Acting when you could wait. Shipping when you’d hesitate.

Because in your world:

• Delaying is a cost.

• Risk is the shape of all breakthroughs.

• Regret is the loudest price for inaction.

We don’t get infinite lives. We get this one. Let’s use it. Let’s mine its value. Let’s become the kind of people who, in our later years, look back and feel honest pride, not longing. So why not create version 1.0 and then improve on it?