Looking back over the last three years, it would be easy to say "what if...?" "why did I...?" and "wish I would have..." Do you remember when you were a kid playing 3 Flies Up ? It can be played with a football or a ball and bat. I remember this one kid that would always yell, "Do-over!" if the game didn't go his way. The rest of us would all yell, "No do-overs!" Generally speaking, there are no do-overs in life. Rarely do we get a second chance.

What we do get is an opportunity to learn from experiences, good or bad. Henry Ford, who is probably rolling over in his grave at the latest escapades of the Big Three, said: "Failure is only the opportunity to begin again intelligently." Wisdom comes in all forms, sometimes that form is failure. Sometimes, it's watching others struggle or fail. Wouldn't it be great if all experiences were categorized, Dewey-decimalized, google-ized, and made available to a wanting, needing public?

Pat Joffrion owns a raceway park outside of Baton Rouge and has listed it at $6.75 million: 179 acres, a couple racetracks, 1,500-seat grandstand, garages that house up to 26 cars, control towers , concession stands, even a sports bar. The land alone is worth $2 million. What would you pay for a racetrack? Good question. And good intentions don't always entice wise decisions. Nevertheless, the raceway, consistently makes decent revenue. But after only eight years, Joffrion says it's time to slow down. Hmmm. Can I get a do-over?

A year and a half ago, I found myself in a job that was headed toward elimination. Hiring within the start-up where I worked was beginning to slow down and other signs of collapse loomed ugly over my head. Reluctantly, I began my own job search. My various thoughts: I should have never taken this job. I should have never left my other comfortable job of five years. What could I have done differently to prevent the current situation? Did I bring all these people to a company doomed for failure? What signs should I have seen early on?

Whatever the ultimate outcome, I knew what a great learning experience it had been. What I gained was far more valuable than what I lost. As a result of being in that position, I went back to school and I am now less than two months away from a business degree. The flap of those delicate wings took me down a new path that I might not have taken otherwise. An admirable woman, Mother Theresa ,said, "I know the Lord will never give me more than I can handle, I just wish he didn't have so much faith in me." It has been tough. It has been the hardest thing I have ever accomplished, but I'm almost there and I have no intention of yelling, "Do-over!"

The term The Butterfly Effect is based in chaos theory and is resultant of the idea that merely a slight change in the flap of a butterfly's wings may illicit minuscule changes that could, ultimately, alter the path of a tornado. A small change could have large effects.