How to live a life without regrets

I got an email from my dad the other day with a link to a soccer player who missed the goal to win the game. The email said "this makes missing those free-throws seem not so bad." My initial reaction was "cool Dad thanks for reminding me" but then I started thinking, hmm I wish I had done more. 
There are a lot of things I wish I had done better, said better or that I had acted better, but there are only two things I really truly regret. Two things that given the chance I would go back and change. The first deals with another girl who I hurt unintentionally and the second was when I missed those free-throws. 

If you know me, you probably know the situation. There was 1 min and 31 seconds left in our tournament game and we were down one. We were playing a team we had beaten twice. I was fouled, and  being an 80 something percent free-throw shooter, I walked up to the line thinking "shoot I got this, we are gonna win this game no problem." I missed them both. We lost the game. I spent 3 days crying about it, all the while having friends and family make light of it and I would laugh and try and pretend that my soul wasn't crushed, but it was.  I can't watch a basketball game without wanting to be out there. I can't watch a sports movie without crying and I'm sitting in my office on the other side of the world with tears in my eyes and the only thing I can think is I wish I could have done more. OH WAIT, I COULD HAVE! 
 I had a contract to go overseas to play basketball and fulfill my dream, and that fell through the weekend I was leaving, so I gave up. How many times do you let something break your heart before you walk away? I didn't want to hate basketball but I would have if I kept going down that path. It was the hardest decision I have ever made, and to this day basketball is still the only passion that has ever consumed me, the only thing that has broken me but I still love. 
Don't get me wrong, I have taken the path that God has destined me for, and I am exactly where He wants me to be, but dag on the journey really stunk sometimes. So how does this relate you ask? If you want to live a life of no regrets then DO MORE.

What most of you don't know about that game day is that we had shoot around and my free-throws were off, and I blamed it on the ball (we were in a rinky-dink gym with balls falling apart and the rim wasn't regulation). I didn't stop to think it was me. I got into the game and didn't think anything of it, until after we had lost and I wish I had done more, shot more, fixed my shot. 
You want to be a better athlete then do more. Do more sprints, and do them faster. You want to be a better worker, then get of FB and work harder. You want to be a better parent, then do more for your children and for yourself. Love your partner better because the relationship with your husband or wife is the kind of relationship your child will enter into. You want to be a better sibling, then be nicer (sorry Jimbo!). You want to be a better Christian, then love more. You want to get on a plane and teach English in a third world country (Message me! They need teachers badly here) then do it. You want to stop being such a jerk to people, then FREAKIN' STOP! It is not fun to go the extra mile, but it is not hard. Stop worrying about what will happen because if you heart wants it and you do everything, and I do mean EVERY SINGLE THING, you can do then things will work out, maybe not how you expect but the path will always be revealed. 
There is always something more you can do. You can always work harder. You can always get smarter. There are no excuses for not being your best, and I promise you not doing your best, not going the distance is something you will regret. Give everything you have though, all 100%, then there will be nothing to regret. 
When you come across a decision that needs to be made (good or bad) the best thing is normally the harder answer; the answer that requires the most discipline and sacrifice. Choose that path.  

 

The way to Heaven is through Christ, but the way to success (whatever that success may look like) is also a narrow gate that few find. 

Take the road, do the extra sprint, do the extra work, bring you spouse breakfast in bed. DO THE LITTLE THINGS-FOR THOSE WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE.