I have often seen people say, “I have no regrets.”
Sadly, I am not like them. I have a lot of regrets, big and small. In fact, I find regrets unavoidable.
After all, as long as you live, you will make mistakes and do stupid things. That is what life is. And that creates regrets.
But while we can’t eliminate regrets, we can prevent them from owning us. And the simplest way to overcome regrets is to focus on what you can change going forward.
— If you wasted your forenoon, can you use your afternoon better?
— If you took the wrong job, can you find a better one in the next six months?
— If you wasted your college years, can you work really hard this coming year?
There are few mistakes that can’t be fixed. Focus your emotional energy on changing your future. That is how you move past your past.
Regrets will be there. But we can decide whether they control us.
Remember: Action beats rumination.
– Rajan