When I was a kid I often heard my parents, grandparents, teachers, and friends ask me, "Who do you want to be when you grow up?" What they were really asking was what type of career did I want to pursue. But a job doesn't make you who you are. A job only allows you to have provision for a life that you desire. If you want money to have nice things, you must invest in personal development to get you in position for receiving those things. If you seek comfort and are willing to forfeit provisions, you need to realize that choice to be comfortable limits your ability to financially prosper. If you value material things over relationships, you must realize those choices also have consequences you may later regret. Stuff, jobs, or relationships won't define you or add to your personal value. Your character always defines you. Respect, even self-respect, is earned and must be cultivated. It requires knowing who you want to be and then seeking to become it.
If you want to be honored, then you must behave honorably.
If you want to be respected, then you must act respectful toward others.
If you want to be loved, then you must be lovable.
If you want to be trusted, you must be trustworthy.
Everything that defines who you are is revealed in your actions. It's not the things you try to do that you will regret, but the dreams you don't pursue. Don't let another's fear hold you back. Don't listen to the doubters and those who never step out of their comfort zone be the voices you hear. Look for the few, the courageous, the dreamers who go after their dreams. They will show you the pathway to finding the dreams of your life. Your past will not determine your future, unless you fail to learn from the mistakes. Our past only allows us to set the course for a better tomorrow. The blessings of today cover the mistakes of our past.
Bless more, fear less.