Mom's Words of Wisdom #1: Take Chances

Mom's Words of Wisdom: Be bold enough to take the chance.

It may be a cliche, but most cliches are grounded in reality.  You will in fact miss 100% of the shots you don't take...so take the shot.  Yes, you may miss it.  But you may make it, and even if you don't win the game, you walk away knowing you gave it your best.

Some of the best chances I ever took:

• When my best friend "ruined" our beautiful friendship by telling me he "had feelings" for me, I decided to take a chance and try dating him (even though I was convinced things wouldn't work because it would be too weird).
• From the time I was 9 years old I knew I wanted to be a lawyer and then a judge.  After earning my BA in Government, passing the LSAT and getting admission letters to law school, I had an epiphany that this wasn't what I wanted.  I was bold enough to step off of a path I'd been on for more than 10 years.  I've never regretted that choice.
• In 1990, I took a chance, packed up a U-Haul and moved to Ohio with my boyfriend (my best friend from above)...no job, no plan, just a belief that if we were together it would work. 
• In 1991, even though I was only 23, I married my best friend. 
• In 1992, we decided to start our family and by December, I was holding the most beautiful, healthy, amazing baby boy.
• In 1994, I was told that the child I was carrying most likely had chronic (if not fatal) health problems.  Along with my husband, we decided to face those challenges head on...and were rewarded with a perfectly (eventually) healthy beautiful baby girl.
• In 2000, having no idea what I would find, I decided to take a chance and find my biological family.  The goal was to understand my health history and let my biological parents know they'd made the right choice.  The reward was finding two full sisters (and their families) and developing new and amazing relationships.
• In my career, I've always been willing to take chances, try new things and learn new skills.  The result has been a rewarding career that supports my family well.

In the end, it comes down to this...choose to be bold.  Don't look back and regret the chances you didn't take.  Sometimes, it won't work out.  Sometimes, it will pay back more than you ever anticipated.  Either way, you'll be able to say you took the chance.