Focus On Your Dreams, Not Your Regrets

We all have regrets, at least a few. Nanz shares candidly about the things she wishes she did, the ones she wishes she didn’t, and why we must focus on our dreams instead of looking back.

I have had many dreams and my fair share of regrets. When I was a little girl, my greatest wish was to be an astronaut and I would fantasise about my walk on the moon.

I soon grew out of this, of course. In my teens, I dreamt about marrying my Prince Charming — naturally, he would be a millionaire! And he would definitely be able to indulge all my worldly fancies. I guess I grew out of this dream as well when I began to create my own wealth as an entrepreneur. When ONE.99shop was born and the business began to prosper, I badly wanted it to be the Wal-Mart of Asia.

Do I regret all these lost dreams? No. I have learnt to look upon them as part of living life, and hang on to these invaluable lessons. My regrets pertain only to the time I have lost – precious moments I sacrificed in the pursuit of my dreams. I regret not having spent enough time with my husband Larry when we were first married. These are times you cannot recapture.

I regret not having the wisdom of pursuing a university degree when I was younger — at a time when my younger brain could have absorbed and retained so much more.

I regret the times I had wasted in hanging out with the wrong company, learning wrong values as a result.

I regret not having hired sound financial managers early on when my business was thriving and growing rapidly.

I also regret not giving enough time and thought to potential business partners who could have possibly lightened my workload. This is very critical to running a business.

The list goes on and on but the most important lesson I have learnt is to turn my back on regrets, and to look ahead and keep dreaming for bigger and better things.

My greatest wish now is to impact the world in a different way. I want to be able to be a bridge-builder and help as many people as possible — millions of them! — to succeed in their business ventures and their lives.

I want to be able to do this through my speaking engagements, my consultancy work, my ministry — and through my books. Yes, I dream of writing many more books!

You see, in life, we all have regrets, but beyond them there is always new hope, and definitely new dreams and a new future!

This article is an extract from One Business, 99 Lessons by Nanz Chong-Komo.

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