I saw a poll once that gave people two options:

One—go back 20 years with all the knowledge you have now. Basically a do-over.

Two—take 25 million dollars.

Guess which one won?

You got it. The cash.

Why would anyone turn down a second chance at life with a cheat code? Turns out, most of us would rather take the money and run.

I've lived a do-over. At 15, I had to repeat Secondary 3 because my grades were terrible.

It was like Groundhog Day.

Same curriculum, same teachers, same everything. Imagine beating a video game and then having to replay it from the start. You skip all the cutscenes, grab the important items, speed through because you already know where the enemies spawn.

It was my easiest academic year, even though I stayed laid back about studying and spent most of my time playing basketball.

Sounds great, right?

It wasn't.

Even when you know what's coming, the re-do is dreadful.

What if you mess it up and things turn out worse? There are a thousand ways things could get worse. Sure, you might say you'd just go back and buy Bitcoin at a dollar. Fair enough.

I'd probably do that too. But your entire life trajectory would change. The butterfly effect isn't just movie magic. Whatever you have now that you appreciate and feel grateful for? It might vanish after your do-over.

That relationship you cherish? Gone. That random conversation that led to your current job? Never happens.

And then there's the weight of knowing. The pressure of a second chance when everyone's watching. What if people knew you were doing it over? The expectations alone could crush you.

(Spoiler alert ahead)

This is why I'm captivated by Chef Choi, who won Culinary Class Wars Season 2.

He'd competed in Season 1 and got eliminated midway through. He could've walked away. He'd already won MasterChef Korea - he had nothing left to prove. Taking the metaphorical "25 million option" and moving on would've been so much easier.

Instead, he and another white-spoon chef came back for Season 2. After all the pressure, the scrutiny, the trials, he emerged the winner.

He captured it perfectly in episode one: "They say if you do nothing, nothing ever happens to you." That's why he returned. He was determined to get it right this time.

He's Mr. Do-Over. And he chose the hard way.

So what made his do-over different from my miserable repeat year? He wasn't just going through the motions. He came back with something to prove - to himself, not just others. The experience of failure wasn't baggage. It was fuel.

Chef Choi's made me think about my old goals.

The 2025 goals I set and missed. Hell, some are from way before that—I'm nothing if not consistent at missing targets.

The instinctive reaction? Shrug it off. Move on. The "new year, new me" hashtag window has closed anyway.

But should I revisit them? Try again? If they were goals to begin with, they must've mattered. And with the experience of failure under my belt, wouldn't I have a better shot at hitting them now?

Remember when Loki tried to convince Thanos he'd be useful in Avengers Endgame? Thanos mocked him, saying his experience was nothing but failures.

Loki's response? "I consider experience, experience."

Maybe that's the difference between a do-over that drains you and one that drives you. It's not about replaying the game with a walkthrough. It's about taking everything you learned from failing and using it differently.

For those of us still figuring out what we want from 2026, maybe we can take inspiration from Chef Choi.

Maybe you don't need new goals.

Just do-over your old ones.

Your future self will thank you.

Adrian Tan
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