Regrets, I’ve Had A Few

So sang Frank Sinatra in “My Way”.

Each and every one of us will occasionally look back at our past and reflect on a number of things we had done and felt a sense of regret. Disappointment over an occurrence or something that one has done or failed to do, wishing that we could turn back the clock of time and redo it all over again. It haunts you and the memories cannot be erased from your head, being especially bad when one is feeling down and miserable.

Had lunch with a very good friend today. We spoke about this and I shared with him some of my innermost regrets in my past corporate life. He mentioned that on reflection if he had a chance to do it all over again, the outcome would still be the same, that he stands by his past decisions.

How can we then lessen the pain of regret since it is not possible to undo it? The experts do suggest that one should look at the incident and use it to identify one’s weaknesses. As we analyze further, we could make it into a learning experience. Finally, one should utilize it as an opportunity to be sharper at adapting to similar situations in the future.

The pain and hurt can never really go away, but we can turn it into a positive event. One just needs to remain strong and look forward, not backward. Life’s journey is still long, I firmly believe that we still have much more new wonderful memories ahead that will overwhelm and overcome all past regrets.