Life gives you one "do over"

ArtMonkDrillz · 04-02-2010, 12:13 PM

Man, I guess I'm the only one that would change a lot of stuff.

One of the big ones that sticks out to me as I sit in my cubical at my soulless office job is that I would have picked a different major in college. I wish I had put more effort into thinking about what I wanted to do with my life after school and perused that, because as it stands now I'm 27 and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

MTK · 04-02-2010, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 724Skinsfan

When I was in 5th grade my parents got divorced. I was given the choice to live with either parent. I chose my mom for the simple fact that I didn't want to hurt her feelings. Had I chosen my dad I would have grown up in a much, much more financially secure household and with a lot more academic discipline. I love my life right now and never spend time regretting this decision; but since it was brought up, and small thanks to Schneed's post above, I thought I'd share.

Man that's rough.

When my parents split my brother and I didn't have a say and looking back it was for the best. We went to live with my Mom, spent holidays and summers with my Dad. I guess I could have asked to go live with my Dad if I wanted to, but under the circumstances they made things work pretty good.

firstdown · 04-02-2010, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArtMonkDrillz

Man, I guess I'm the only one that would change a lot of stuff.

One of the big ones that sticks out to me as I sit in my cubical at my soulless office job is that I would have picked a different major in college. I wish I had put more effort into thinking about what I wanted to do with my life after school and perused that, because as it stands now I'm 27 and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

Why grow up?

KLHJ2 · 04-02-2010, 12:37 PM

I would have never let myself get so out of shape.

When I got out of the Army I stopped exercising and continued to pound the alcohol just as hard. Today I am about 50 lbs over weight (all in the beer gut region) and I beathe heavily after walking up a fight of stairs carrying one of my kids to bed. I have a short term plan for correcting all of this, but I would have been better off never taking the road that I did.

I'm the white guy in the middle without the stash and mullet.

firstdown · 04-02-2010, 12:51 PM

Thinking back when I turned thirty I hooked up with this really hot chick. I like a do over with her. I am talking about a do over with her back then when I was single.

saden1 · 04-02-2010, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Cop out.

Come on play along, you don't have things you look back on and wish you could have done differently?

Certainly there are things here and there I could change but those mistakes are things I've learned from. Who knows, if they didn't happen I might have made the same mistakes over again. Like my dad always use to say, "If you feel inadequate or down make it a point to learn something because you don't want to learn the hard way later on."

So no, it's not a cop-out. I value every moment of my past, including the bad moments.

tryfuhl · 04-02-2010, 12:53 PM

I don't know. What I'd like to change was kind of out of my control. I was expected to bring home A's and B's only, but that's all that my parents cared about my education. Most parents seem to care about if their kid takes the SAT, etc. Mine never mentioned it and I only took it junior year, got a 1270 (this is when it was 1600 scale); should've taken it again senior year, my guidance counselor said I should be around the 1400 range, but all of the dates kept lining up with wrestling tournaments and I was already getting top scholarship offers academically with my junior year score. I begged my mom all of the time to just take the 5-10 minutes to complete my FAFSA with her tax info, apply for the PIN to sign it electronically with, etc. She never did.. too busy in her own little world.. it was always "We'll do that later okay?" or "Remind me tomorrow." Because of that the school's financial departments really couldn't do much for me, plus the FAFSA and college applications were already past due, so I packed up and moved back to Northern VA.. paid for a couple of semesters at NVCC and haven't been back since.

I guess I'd try to find some way to change all of that. I really thought that by this time I'd be done graduate school and like everyone else from here thinks, making a change in the DC area.

MTK · 04-02-2010, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saden1

Certainly there are things here and there I could change but those mistakes are things I've learned from. Who knows, if they didn't happen I might have made the same mistakes over again. Like my dad always use to say, "If you feel inadequate or down make it a point to learn something because you don't want to learn the hard way later on."

So no, it's not a cop-out. I value every moment of my past, including the bad moments.

I get that. Our mistakes make us who we are are just like our successes. And no matter what path you choose, hindsight is always 20/20. There are no perfect lives of course, this thread is just asking what if you were given that one golden chance to make a different decision. What would you do differently?

saden1 · 04-02-2010, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mattyk

I get that. Our mistakes make us who we are are just like our successes. And no matter what path you choose, hindsight is always 20/20. There are no perfect lives of course, this thread is just asking what if you were given that one golden chance to make a different decision. What would you do differently?

My life turned out pretty damn good and I can't think of a single decision that has impacted my life negatively or that I truly regret

...but I would love to take back that one night where I left my friend with 4 beautiful girls a few years ago cause I was tired and found out next day that he took one of them home and that one of them was looking for me. I left dimes for sleep.

Lotus · 04-02-2010, 01:21 PM

There was a certain woman whom I dated several years ago whose destructive path in my life continues. It's a long story about how it all works out but, in the end, I didn't get a kid that I treasure or anything like that. Instead I got years of pain in the ass which continue long after we broke up. For example, she lied to me about her marital status but her crazy ex-husband blamed me and continues to do dirty things to me, despite the fact that I never would have been with her if I had known the truth.

budw38 · 04-02-2010, 01:38 PM

I just wish I had grown up faster . I spent too much time in my teens and twenty's focusing on women , cars and sports . Not that I do not love my life , I would have been better off with more focus on work/career . I do feel lucky now , I have a work ethic and a lot of fine friends ; family and live in the good old USA . Oh , and I did not grow up in cowboy/eagle or giant country

Trample the Elderly · 04-02-2010, 02:20 PM

I wouldn't change a thing. There have been many eff ups and mistakes, things that could've been done differently but, I wouldn't go back and change them. My experience has made me the man I am, for better or worse. So be it.

MTK · 04-02-2010, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trample the Elderly

I wouldn't change a thing. There have been many eff ups and mistakes, things that could've been done differently but, I wouldn't go back and change them. My experience has made me the man I am, for better or worse. So be it.

Funny/ironic/odd that you and saden have the same take...

Or maybe it makes complete sense.

Schneed10 · 04-02-2010, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trample the Elderly

I wouldn't change a thing. There have been many eff ups and mistakes, things that could've been done differently but, I wouldn't go back and change them. My experience has made me the man I am, for better or worse. So be it.

This is a cop out my friend. Saden you too.

Saying this is akin to saying that you as a person have no need for improvement. Everybody's got wishes to be somehow better. Smarter, more qualified, in better shape, more friends, deeper relationships, making more money, have more free time, have more skills, take more risks, take less risks, wondered what it'd be like to be with the one that got away, wondered what it'd be like if you ran sooner from the one you shouldn't have been with...

There's always something that could have been better. Nobody's perfect, not even you, saden.

If you think you're good to go right now and wouldn't make any changes or erase any past mistakes, then I'd humbly suggest that you should make a change in the here and now: take a harder look in the mirror and see what you can do today to be better going forward. Don't settle, because nobody's perfect.

CRedskinsRule · 04-02-2010, 03:03 PM

I think, given my earlier thoughts, if it was a one point in time decision, it would be my decision to go in as an MP, that was almighty dumb, I had an outstanding DLAB(Language Aptitude) score and wanted to go Military Intelligence but changed at the last minute to MP. IF it was a time frame, I would say July 2001-Dec2001, I handled depression/divorce et al in an absolutely horrid way and my life would be radically better had I had even an ounce of common sense in my body at that part of my life.

04-02-2010, 12:13 PM	#16
ArtMonkDrillz Franchise Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ellicott City, MD Age: 42 Posts: 8,029	Re: Life gives you one "do over" Man, I guess I'm the only one that would change a lot of stuff. One of the big ones that sticks out to me as I sit in my cubical at my soulless office job is that I would have picked a different major in college. I wish I had put more effort into thinking about what I wanted to do with my life after school and perused that, because as it stands now I'm 27 and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. __________________ "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man." The Dude

04-02-2010, 12:37 PM	#19
KLHJ2 Inactive Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: DC Metro Area Age: 46 Posts: 5,829	Re: Life gives you one "do over" I would have never let myself get so out of shape. When I got out of the Army I stopped exercising and continued to pound the alcohol just as hard. Today I am about 50 lbs over weight (all in the beer gut region) and I beathe heavily after walking up a fight of stairs carrying one of my kids to bed. I have a short term plan for correcting all of this, but I would have been better off never taking the road that I did. I'm the white guy in the middle without the stash and mullet.

04-02-2010, 12:51 PM	#20
firstdown Living Legend Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: chesapeake, va Age: 60 Posts: 15,817	Re: Life gives you one "do over" Thinking back when I turned thirty I hooked up with this really hot chick. I like a do over with her. I am talking about a do over with her back then when I was single.

04-02-2010, 12:53 PM	#22
tryfuhl Gamebreaker Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Waldorf, MD Age: 41 Posts: 12,514	Re: Life gives you one "do over" I don't know. What I'd like to change was kind of out of my control. I was expected to bring home A's and B's only, but that's all that my parents cared about my education. Most parents seem to care about if their kid takes the SAT, etc. Mine never mentioned it and I only took it junior year, got a 1270 (this is when it was 1600 scale); should've taken it again senior year, my guidance counselor said I should be around the 1400 range, but all of the dates kept lining up with wrestling tournaments and I was already getting top scholarship offers academically with my junior year score. I begged my mom all of the time to just take the 5-10 minutes to complete my FAFSA with her tax info, apply for the PIN to sign it electronically with, etc. She never did.. too busy in her own little world.. it was always "We'll do that later okay?" or "Remind me tomorrow." Because of that the school's financial departments really couldn't do much for me, plus the FAFSA and college applications were already past due, so I packed up and moved back to Northern VA.. paid for a couple of semesters at NVCC and haven't been back since. I guess I'd try to find some way to change all of that. I really thought that by this time I'd be done graduate school and like everyone else from here thinks, making a change in the DC area.

04-02-2010, 01:21 PM	#25
Lotus Fire Bruce NOW Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 11,434	Re: Life gives you one "do over" There was a certain woman whom I dated several years ago whose destructive path in my life continues. It's a long story about how it all works out but, in the end, I didn't get a kid that I treasure or anything like that. Instead I got years of pain in the ass which continue long after we broke up. For example, she lied to me about her marital status but her crazy ex-husband blamed me and continues to do dirty things to me, despite the fact that I never would have been with her if I had known the truth. __________________ Bruce Allen when in charge alone: 4-12 (.250) Bruce Allen's overall Redskins record : 28-52 (.350) Vinny Cerrato's record when in charge alone: 52-65 (.444) Vinny's overall Redskins record: 62-82 (.430) We won more with Vinny

04-02-2010, 01:38 PM	#26
budw38 Playmaker Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern,Va. Posts: 2,706	Re: Life gives you one "do over" I just wish I had grown up faster . I spent too much time in my teens and twenty's focusing on women , cars and sports . Not that I do not love my life , I would have been better off with more focus on work/career . I do feel lucky now , I have a work ethic and a lot of fine friends ; family and live in the good old USA . Oh , and I did not grow up in cowboy/eagle or giant country

04-02-2010, 02:20 PM	#27
Trample the Elderly Playmaker Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Three Chopt Virginia Age: 47 Posts: 2,906	Re: Life gives you one "do over" I wouldn't change a thing. There have been many eff ups and mistakes, things that could've been done differently but, I wouldn't go back and change them. My experience has made me the man I am, for better or worse. So be it. __________________ A funny thing happened on the way to the temple. The moneychangers bought the priesthood.

04-02-2010, 03:03 PM	#30
CRedskinsRule Living Legend Join Date: Aug 2008 Age: 57 Posts: 21,380	Re: Life gives you one "do over" I think, given my earlier thoughts, if it was a one point in time decision, it would be my decision to go in as an MP, that was almighty dumb, I had an outstanding DLAB(Language Aptitude) score and wanted to go Military Intelligence but changed at the last minute to MP. IF it was a time frame, I would say July 2001-Dec2001, I handled depression/divorce et al in an absolutely horrid way and my life would be radically better had I had even an ounce of common sense in my body at that part of my life.

Life gives you one "do over"

Parking Lot