Incredibly generic and played out

This post is about regrets
Basically, we all have regrets in life.  Some people say that you should live life with no regrets, but I don't think you learn anything that way.  Here is what I've learned and this is going to get a little personal.

1.  Be incredibly careful of dating someone younger than yourself.  Maturity is mostly the issue, not so much the actual age.  For example, an 18-year old dating a 21-year old is unacceptable simply because the 18-year old is still a kid, whereas the 21-year old is just becoming an adult.  Conversely, a 24-year old dating like a 26-year old would be hardly a difference at all.

2.  Consider the amount of time you might have to invest to make it work (to the point where you can actually date them, we haven't even gotten to marriage yet.)  I say this because time is precious, it is the one resource we simply can't get back, and so investing untold amounts of time trying to make something work with someone on such a basic level is foolish and stupid in my opinion.

3.  Draw the line of what things you CAN and CANNOT live with.  I think everybody has something about them that no matter what you will just find so irritating.  Is this thing something you can get over, or will eat away at you until there is nothing left?  If it is the latter, then you are better off running.

4.  Find someone that will ask for your advice with the intention of following it.  This is nitpicking, but I've dated girls where they have asked for my advice on something and just didn't even listen at all, it's more like they asked because they felt like they had to which is just retarded and fairly disrespectful.

5.  Consider the possibility of a long-term future before you even start getting too close.  This problem is more apparent in Utah than in other states, but I think this is the most important lesson to be learned here.

6.  Relationships require both teams to play.  Both parties have to be invested, and if one party isn't hellbent on trying to make things work, willing to fight for the home team then there isn't really a team.

Now, the main regret that I'm trying to express is the loss of time.  Not just time spent chasing a fruitless-venture, but time lost trying to seek out other dating prospects.  Time lost trying to figure out how to become a better guy just through dating other people.  Time I will never get back.

But of course, we can never predict the future nor can we see how it will turn out.  All we can is just keep looking, taking risks.  Fortune favors the bold.  And as with all matters of the heart, you just have to take that leap of faith and hope that at the bottom of the cliff is water, or at least something soft to land on.