Things I WOULDN’T Change About My Life – No Matter What!

The Amazing You

Jun 13, 2011 by Yvonne DiVita

Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.

Last week I wrote a post about the things I would change in my life, if I could go back and be a kid again. Things like realizing I was ‘ok’ – maybe more than ‘ok’. I’d have studied more and read great literature in favor of…the stuff I was reading. I’d have realized that I truly did have my whole life ahead of me, when I was 15, and not lamented over the things I allowed to rule the day.

Now, I’d like to talk about the things in my life that I would NOT change. There are a lot so I’ll just mention a few in this post.

I wouldn’t change my family. We may be dysfunctional to the nth degree in many ways, but at our core we love each other. We support each other. We can be out of touch for months, and still remember birthdays and holidays. My family could create a reality TV show that would have people blinking in astonishment – and laughing out loud. But, we won’t. I love my family. They’re priceless.

Another thing I wouldn’t change is my personality. Some folks might say the things I want to change have made me the person I am, but I think the person I am was created the day I was born and she operated on a level of being handicapped for most of her life, when she didn’t have to. I like being me. The ornery, mouthy, without-a-sense-of-humor (so my kids tell me) me that has always been me.

I wouldn’t change growing up in the decades I did, for being someone out of the past or the future. I love history and often wonder what it would have been like living in the 17^th century, or in ancient Greece. I also love science fiction and wonder what life will be like 100 years from now – something I will never get to experience. But, I don’t care to speculate about time travel. I like having grown up in the 50s,60s and 70s. Ah, those were the days!

I wouldn’t change my love for animals. A lot of people criticize me for the way I dote on my pets. By a lot of people, I mean strangers who thing it’s their job to put me in my place. These are people who think animals are expendable. I do not. I think animals are a big part of the human experience. I think our animals, especially our pets, help us be more human. Help us be better humans. I think my life would be incomplete without a dog or cat in my house. As a favorite sign says, “the dog lives here, you don’t”… so, if you don’t want dog hair on your clothes, stay home. No, I’m not segregating my dog to another room, and no, I’m not apologizing if my cat rubs up against you.

Strangely, I wouldn’t change my choice of lifestyle – meaning, I’d still have married my first husband, and I’d still have divorced him! I needed that experience to teach me how to be a good wife and Mom. My ex may have been less than … shall we say, ‘helpful’, back then (at least in my eyes) but the truth is – he was a good man, a good father and a good husband. We weren’t right for each other, but neither of us knew that at the time. We stayed together for 15 years and had 3 wonderful kids that are making us proud today. I choose to let go of the bad memories and cherish the family get togethers, the warmth, the fun, the laughter, and all the trips to kids events… it was a truly wonderful time of life, for me.

I like this Marilyn Monroe quote, “We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets.”

Another thing I wouldn’t change is my choice to leave corporate American and go out on my own. Hey, it’s not easy, folks! There are weeks when I’m not sure I’ll make the utility payment or when we’re pretty low on tuna fish and tuna fish is all there is to eat! Those times are few and far between, now, but they weren’t, back in the beginning. Like many entrepreneurs, I learned as I went along – I read a lot and attended networking meetings and asked a lot of questions and made a lot of mistakes – and contemplated the craziness of being “out on my own”… only to decide that this is how I like it. Striving for that perfect gig – the one that will put me in the comfort zone, where I’m doing what I love and putting money in the bank. I think I’ve found it with BlogPaws.

I wouldn’t change the color of my hair, although I do every month at the hairdresser. What I mean is I wouldn’t want naturally red hair – it might be too brassy or too blonde. Choosing my own color out of a bottle works for me. When I was younger, that color was black. Then, it was a muted red. Now, it’s what it is – red with highlights. Choosing red is okay today because… red is more accepted today. In ancient Egypt, according to divine caroline, “red-haired girls were burned alive.” Oh my!

I wouldn’t change all the houses I’ve lived in. I’ve moved more than most people. As a kid, we were rarely in the same house for more than a year or two. At least, until I was 12. Then, we settled in and I lived in that house until I graduated from junior college. Over the years, I’ve moved again and again and just recently, I moved from Rochester, NY to Frederick, CO, with Tom. Wouldn’t change that for anything! It was exciting – fixing up our old house for sale, selling it, traveling cross country with the cat in the U-haul between us, and settling into our new home with a view of the mountains out the front door. Wow – we took a lot of risks and spent a fair amount of money to make this move – but, it was worth it in ways I cannot even explain.

Moving has given me and Tom a new lease on life. And, I wouldn’t change that, either. New is good. I’m all for new. New is what every day is all about. New day, new you, new experiences.

When you can look at life with only small regrets, and be glad for the people and experiences you’ve been lucky enough to enjoy, life will reward you with more of the same.

I’m all for rewards. How about you?

About the Author

Yvonne DiVita Has Written 12 Articles For Us!

Yvonne DiVita is the author of Dick*less Marketing: Smart Marketing to Women Online, the premier book on marketing to women online. As President of Windsor Media Enterprises, LLC specializing in Publishing 3.0 using print-on-demand, as well as business blog building and social media strategy, Yvonne is an active blogger starting with her women’s blog Lip-Sticking. Her latest book, A Little Book of Big Thoughts, is offered on her blog as an e-book and a print book. In the summer of 2009, she co-founded BlogPaws, an online pet community to support pet bloggers and pet lovers. BlogPaws has successfully held two social media conferences in 2010 and is diligently working on conference #3 for August of 2011.

Getting The Latest Tweet...