Pondering the concept of regret and the impact it has

We all have regrets, but without them, we probably wouldn’t be who we are today. Worse still, we probably wouldn’t be where we are today.

You shouldn’t regret:

• a bad relationship if it taught you how to find a great one.

• a purchase if it continues to bring you joy.

• a choice if it led to a more fulfilled life, later on down the line.

Regrets are simply the hindsight of incorrect choices after you’ve made them.

With the knowledge of the result, after it’s happened, you’re able to judge whether it was right at the time… and if you could have acted differently for a more favourable result.

It creates a dichotomy of control and knowledge. You shouldn’t worry about things that are outside of your control, like past choices — but it’s valuable to assess them in order to learn from your mistakes.

With that said, regrets then, are just lessons we wish we’d learned earlier, but as long as we’ve acknowledged that lesson we are right to reflect on those past experiences.