“Twenty years from now you may be extra dissatisfied by the belongings you didn’t do than by those you probably did do.” ~Mark Twain
Let me set the scene.
It’s a blistering summer season day in Miami—the type the place the humidity hugs you tighter than your ex at a highschool reunion, and the air feels such as you’re swimming via heat soup. Not precisely the form of climate that makes you need to transfer, not to mention sweat via a shock death-match exercise on Muscle Seashore.
However there I used to be.
The coach—clearly a drill sergeant in a previous life—barks out: “Another rep and we’re carried out!”
Ah, sure. The well-known final phrases of each group health class ever.
Spoiler: We had been not carried out.
That “another rep” became ten extra workout routines, every extra punishing than the final. By the tip, I used to be satisfied my legs had filed for emancipation. My tank high might’ve been used to mop the ground. And but… beneath the exhaustion was a wild, inexplicable sense of aliveness.
As we collapsed onto the grass post-torture, I tilted my head to the sky—not for inspiration, however maybe divine rescue. As an alternative, I bought clouds. Huge, moody ones, rolling in quick.
Now, as a Miami native, I knew what was coming. Rain. In 5 minutes, give or take.
Our group—equal elements sweaty and semi-traumatized—determined to seize meals at a close-by Greek spot six blocks away. It might’ve been a straightforward name… if the climate weren’t about to show right into a tropical tantrum.
And that’s when the talk started: “To Uber or to not Uber?”
That was the second.
That was the query that cracked open one thing larger than I anticipated.
As a result of I discovered myself pondering—not virtually, however existentially: What would make the higher story?
Ubering dry and cozy? Or strolling into the storm, drenched and laughing?
You possibly can guess which one I selected.
We set off on foot.
The primary raindrops had been tentative, virtually well mannered. Then got here the downpour. The actual deal. Inside moments, we had been soaked to the pores and skin—however free.
We splashed via puddles. We screamed. We laughed like youngsters who had been allowed to remain up previous bedtime.
After we lastly burst into the restaurant—soaking wet, windswept, and grinning—we regarded like a bunch of joyful chaos incarnate. Nobody cared about how they regarded. Nobody regretted the stroll.
As a result of we didn’t simply select a meal. We selected a reminiscence.
So now I’ll ask you an identical factor I requested myself: What would make the higher story?
Not the better one. Not the polished one. Not the one which retains you neat and unbothered.
The higher story. The one with coronary heart and threat and shade. The one the place you come alive—even in case you get a bit messy within the course of.
We are inclined to make selections based mostly on consolation or management. We decide what’s handy. Predictable. Protected. However the tales we bear in mind—and those we’re proud to inform—often begin with a second of uncertainty.
A leap. A sure. A “Why not?”
Possibly it’s the connection that felt like a threat however became one thing actual.
Possibly it’s the day you lastly stood up for your self, regardless that your voice trembled.
Possibly it’s the job you didn’t really feel prepared for however stated sure to anyway.
Or perhaps, like me, it’s only a stroll within the rain that reminded you the way alive you actually are.
Your life is made up of tales.
And daily, you’re writing the subsequent line.
So what is going to or not it’s in the present day? Will you play it protected? Or will you select the model of today—the model of your self—that you simply’ll be proud to look again on?
About Danielle Dam
Danielle Dam is a life and management coach, speaker, and founding father of Coach Dam LLC. Via her signature program, From Unseen to Unforgettable (U2U), she helps bold but overwhelmed girls cease dwelling on autopilot and begin main lives that truly really feel pretty much as good as they appear. After years of chasing exterior validation, Danielle now empowers others to reconnect with their reality, rewrite outdated patterns, and construct a life rooted in objective, presence, and private energy. Study extra or join together with her at coachdam.com or on Instagram @Danielle_coachdam.