Wars almost never end the way starters had in mind.
Those who enjoy responsibility usually get it; those who merely like exercising authority usually lose it.
Daydreams are doable. The turn-on is not in scale, spectacle, or cost. It's in the doing. Anything you haven't done is an adventure. Wanting to is the principal requirement. If you can do and want to, don't not. In short, while alive, live.
Old age is not for sissies.
It is never too late to learn.
Some people as a result of adversity are sadder, wiser, kinder, more human. Most of us are better, though, when things go better.