What's The Biggest Mistake You Didn't Make?

My recent brush with Jane got me thinking about other mistakes and/or bad choices narrowly avoided. Thinking back on it, I avoided making a pretty costly one several years ago.

After my wife's accident it took about two years to work through probate and all the settlements. Looking back on it I had a lot of pent up energy straining to get out. My solution? I started thinking about getting an ATV. But not just any ATV, I decided to go first class for the first time in my life. After some serious shopping I chose a classic, one similar to this beauty, the M4A3 model. Even looked at buying a ranch to keep it on. Almost did the deed when my oldest daughter (then 13) burst my Pattonesque dreams by asking;

"Uh, Daddy? Wouldn't a Corvette be more practical?"

"Yes, sweetheart, come to think of it, it would..."

From the mouths of babes doth reality intrude. So instead of my dream machine we did the old boring irrevocable trust and safe investment route.

I eventually burned off some of that energy by bribing my Realtor. (But that, as they say, is another story...)

So what's your story? What disaster or mistake did you narrowly avoid? Inquiring minds want to know...

Getting married for the 3rd time... Thought about it.. Then one night it hit me... WTF am I thinking...

I thought there would be more interest than this...

That is the best ATV ever! I wouldn't have thought it being a mistake. Although investing in your childrens future is more important.

So what the story on the Realtor? How did you bribe her and for what?

A Boat
(A giant hole in the water into which one throws money )

Originally Posted by Chainsaw Anthropologist

BOAT = Bust Out Another Thousand

If it Floats, Flys or Fucks... It's cheeper to Rent

I almost stayed with my first girlfriend. After spending a week in Hawaii without her and realizing I was glad she wasn't there I knew it wasn't right (had been with her 2 years already).

Moved to Texas about a year later, met my wife, had two wonderful kids...

The worst mistake that any of us have averted, is an unknowable quality.

We can know what the worst mistake we've made in our lives, but knowing which one we averted is guesswork.

You have to set down a lot of guidelines to measure the thing because lives and fortunes go up and down with time.

For example, the stock that you sold when it was at bottom lost you money, but the same stock that someone else buys just before it's about to go up in value makes a fortune. It was the same stock, but only at different points on the cycle that made the difference from a bad investment to a wise investment.

The worst mistake that any of us have averted, is an unknowable quality.

We can know what the worst mistake we've made in our lives, but knowing which one we averted is guesswork.

You have to set down a lot of guidelines to measure the thing because lives and fortunes go up and down with time.

For example, the stock that you sold when it was at bottom lost you money, but the same stock that someone else buys just before it's about to go up in value makes a fortune. It was the same stock, but only at different points on the cycle that made the difference from a bad investment to a wise investment. Originally Posted by Fast Gunn

True the outcome is guesswork, however sometimes we know that our mindset in the decision making wasn't the most rational. Hindsight is always 20/20 so it definitely gives us perspective on that an action not made was definitely a good one. So I have to disagree that it is just "guesswork". Using your analogy of stockmarket. The results will always stay the same if you buy/sell or dont buy/sell unless you just buy such quantitly that you can force such a trend. The outcome of your action or non-action remains the same so no guesswork is really needed.

I guess I fail to see your stock market analogy. So talk to me like I am a 5 yr old. I am sure you would enjoy making a joke of that. But how does the stock market reference a mistake that you didnt make? I can to SOME extent agree that the outcome of a mistake that you didn't make is sometimes uncertain, but the stock market analogy doesn't help your point.