When we reflect on our past experiences, we see things a lot more clearly than the times we were in them. We know for a fact that investing in Company A would've resulted in a 700% return over a single year (true story, for another time), or we simply regret not having developed stronger bonds or skills. As the saying goes, "Hindsight is always 20/20".
Just today my brother and I got into a discussion about Larry Page and Sergey Brin's decisions to step down from their positions at Alphabet. As we talked more, the tone became slightly negative and demoralizing, and the question "people are doing so many great things, why are we not one of them?" came up. Needless to say, as that question came up, I stood still thinking of an answer.
