I had a similar missed opportunity. Reality is, no one owns it but me. I made the choices. I own the decisions. When I could have stood in my own self and owned taking up space in the world, I shrank. I let myself be shrunk. I listened to the critics and the insecure and the desperate. I let them influence me, convince me and I acted. I acted by doing nothing at all and letting a lot of people and opportunities and relationships pass me by.