As we sprang forward an hour last Sunday, I got to wondering about falling back in time.

I'm reading the book What Should I Do with My Life? by Po Bronson who recently wrote a fascinating story in New York magazine on the ill aftermath of praise for children and I got to wondering the age-old question: if you could do it all over again, what direction would you have taken?

I know many of you are probably thinking and saying you wouldn't do it any differently? True, there are some aspects of my life that would not unfold had I not chosen the path I did. But if you really have the option to make different decisions (like academia decision which springs to mind, cuz a lot of where and what we are were defined by our educational choices), what would you do instead. I foresee already my (ex)reporter-friends not changing their decision, but let's not stop at academia. Would you have moved to where you are? Would you have invested in what you did? Would you have forgiven? Would you have been more religious?

As for me, I definitely would have sought out professionals in other fields and really take time to understand what they do, and what I needed in my coursework to work towards that. I blame my lack of foresight at age 20, I regret the lack of direction from friends, family, professors, guidance counselors, school. Growing up in Singapore, all we were introduced to in terms of profession were law or medicine. You may find it strange that engineering, pharmacy, IT were nonexistent subjects to me. Meaning, I honestly had no idea such courses were available! Can you believe my ignorance?!

To date, I have a vague idea of what I want to do. Probably interior design, structural architecture (or civil engineering), cooking/restaurant management, fashion design ....

I probably still would not forgive my dad, but I would speak to him and provided him a means of contact.

I would not have pursued my career goals (I've achieved them, so what?), and instead focused on establishing a family.

I probably should have chosen Australia for my overseas studies so that I could be closer to my family more often.

I should have concentrated on moving to the West Coast so my family and I could visit more frequently.

It probably is not too late to pursue some of these realizations. Now, all I can do is to make wiser decisions in life.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jeremy: I probably would have never gotten into debt with someone with whom I knew would never help me out financially.

I probably would have branched out and taken more public relations and design/pagination courses, not to mention IT/comp sci/Web design courses.

I probably would have studied abroad in Germany during my lower-level undergraduate years with UGA's foreign languages department, then in Toronto or Guadalajara with the Grady College of Journalism in the upper division years.

But, in all, I have to say that I have learned a lot from my life experiences, and I think those experiences have made me a more mature, independent, better person.

I still would have avoided coming home to Macon while I was in college. I still probably would have dated the same said emotionally abusive person with whom I got into debt (I just wouldn't have gotten financially entangled). And I still would have come to Augusta, where I met some of the greatest friends a person could have and learned that when push comes to shove, I can do many things under fire.

Patrick: That book sounds like something I should probably get my hands on, because I can't even begin to count the number of nights I've laid awake at night, unable to sleep because all I can think about is all the things that haven't gone according to plan. Jobs, friends, relationships, money, you name it, I can cite something wrong with my life. In fact, right now the only things that I'm optimistic about are my immediate family and my health.

That said, I wouldn't change a thing. If I applied myself more in high school, paid closer attention to how my relationship with my girlfriend was crumbling in 2001, or thought harder and longer about whether moving to the South was a wise idea, things may have very well turned out better. But then again, if I did that, I'd be someone else, not me.

I think it's admirable to look back at past choices with clear-headed realism, because that maxim about those who do not learn from their mistakes is a wise one. But don't beat yourself up too much though. We learn more from mistakes than from successes.

Me: Thanks to all who responded publicly and privately. I'm pleasantly surprised this topic has touched the core of many of you. And you have all given me much optimism and hope for the choices I had made and will be making. Pat, I'm only on the 3rd chapter of the book but the stories have resonated deeply. It's worth picking up at the local library (considering the financial rut most of us are in).