I have always lived by that statement; mostly because every situation, whether good or bad, serves as a teacher in the school of life. I’m sure that most of us have done things in our past, which in hindsight, probably wish we could go back and change. However, it is the collection of all our experiences that make us who we are. It is also those experiences that guide the direction of our lives.

Whenever a poor decision or choice is made some individuals often times do not want to take responsibility for their actions so instead they put the blame on others. This leads to a constant state of self-pity where they believe that the world and everything in it has conspired in their misery. But in reality until one recognizes the part they play in shaping one’s life the lesson will never be learned. One will never grow if they’re always feeling sorry for themselves and wondering how different their lives would have been if they had made a different choice.

I often hear people talk about their regrets and I always find myself thinking, “Why regret something that at one point in time you wanted to do”? True, some of the things that we do may not be in our best interest and even at times harmful but if it was what you wanted to do at the time how can you regret it? Instead of dwelling on the outcome of that poor decision take a proactive approach to correcting the poor decision. Pull yourself up by the bootstraps and decide to move forward instead of living in the past.

In my opinion, people should give in to their desires more often, for they would probably be happier and more successful. Some never do the things that they really want to do and then live with regrets. I’d rather regret the things that I’ve done than regret the things that I haven’t done. Life is short so if there’s something that you want to do, do it. If it turns out to be a bad decision don’t look at it as regret, look at it as a lesson learned.

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. Sydney J. Harris