Yap

They say you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. I used to think it was just another overused cliché, a phrase you’d hear in motivational speeches and self-help books. But standing here now, looking back at my decision, I can’t help but think how painfully true it is.

I didn’t take the shot.

When it came time to fill in the choices for my college entrance test, I froze. My dream university — the one I’d thought about for years, the one I could picture myself walking around in, studying in, growing in — was right there. It was within reach, but instead of reaching for it, I let fear hold me back. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Fear that maybe I wasn’t good enough.

So, I didn’t include it in my choices. I told myself it was for the best, that playing it safe was the right move. After all, why set myself up for disappointment? Why risk getting my hopes up only to have them crushed? I convinced myself that the universities I did choose would be fine, that it wasn’t the end of the world.

But then the test results came out.

My score was higher than I expected. And as I stared at that number, a sinking feeling settled in my chest. That score — my score — would’ve been enough. I could’ve gotten into my dream university if I had just been brave enough to put it on the list. But I didn’t. I let my fear of failure stop me from even trying.

That’s the thing about fear. It feels so real in the moment, so convincing. It tells you to play it safe, to avoid risks, to protect yourself. But in the end, it’s not the failure that hurts the most — it’s the regret. The regret of not even trying. The regret of wondering what could’ve been.

I didn’t give myself the chance to find out. I let my dream slip through my fingers, not because I wasn’t capable, but because I didn’t believe in myself enough to try. And now, I’m left with the knowledge that I could’ve been there, at my dream university, if I’d just had the courage to take the chance.

I know that life moves on. I know that where I am now is still a good place, with opportunities and lessons of its own. But that doesn’t erase the “what ifs.” What if I had been brave enough to include my dream university? What if I hadn’t let fear dictate my choices? I’ll never know the answer to those questions, and that’s a hard pill to swallow.

It’s easy to say that everything happens for a reason, that I’m exactly where I’m meant to be. But sometimes, that feels like a way of comforting ourselves after a missed opportunity. Sometimes, we have to face the truth: in the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.

This experience has taught me something important, though. I can’t go back and change my decision, but I can learn from it. Next time, when fear creeps in and tells me to play it safe, I’ll remember this moment. I’ll remember how it feels to live with the regret of not trying. And I’ll remind myself that failure isn’t the worst thing that can happen — letting fear control my choices is.

So, if you’re standing at a crossroads, if you’re hesitating to take a risk because you’re afraid of failing, let me tell you this: take the chance. Go for the thing that scares you. Because in the end, the only thing worse than failing is wondering what could’ve been if you had just tried.