Regret the Chances You Don't Take

Regret the Chances You Don't Take

Last update: 18 February, 2018

Never regret the things you’ve done or the courage that you’ve invested in working towards your dreams and goals.

Regretting what you’ve already done just because it might not have gone the way you hoped it would is an absurd waste of time and energy. What if it had gone well? Would you regret it then?

If the answer is no, then you don’t regret jumping in the pool. What you really regret is that your expectations weren’t met. But that’s life.

Failure serves to help us learn so that we can try again with experience behind us.

Regret staying in your comfort zone, dreaming about what could have been. When you refuse to even try, you’ve already failed to reach your goal. In doing so, you settle for a life that’s devoid of excitement, just because you’re afraid you might get a little frustrated.

Sorry, but frustration and disappointment are a part of life. You’re going to feel them sooner or later, even if you don’t take a leap of faith into something new. They’ll come in some way or another, through your family, relationship, work, or any other area of life. Avoiding risk in itself can even become a source of frustration.

Don’t hold onto regret

All of your decisions, actions, dreams, struggles, and words make up a part of who you are. They’ve gotten you to where you are now. Nobody should regret who they are or how they choose to live.

Success is overvalued in this society. We only seem to value those who take risks that pay off.

woman and bird

We focus too much on results, but not on the progress, sacrifice, and effort that people invest in their goals, knowing that sometimes things go well, but not always.

But those are the things that really matter: having a goal that pushes you to keep living and loving, to keep investing your money, time, and effort into it. This is what really motivates people, not so much the result.

Filling up with hope as they see themselves building the life they want to live — that’s what gets people up in the morning and makes them happy.

So don’t regret what you’ve done; regret not trying something for fear of failure. But don’t punish yourself for letting your fear affect you. Just recognize that you’re letting yourself be guided by a temporary emotion, and that it can be substituted for something new.

Don’t worry. Nobody is perfect, and it’s normal to be influenced and manipulated by your emotions. You just have to learn from the situation. Put your foot down and choose to fly once and for all, no matter what happens!

Be brave and learn to fly, but also learn what to do if you fall

Maturity is when you have dreams and hopes, but you also have your feet on the ground. When you know yourself well, accept yourself unconditionally, and understand your limits.

Mature people understand their limits and their potential, and they use that to create a plan they can do, because they recognize how much control they have over the situation. 

When we say control, we of course mean control over the things you can change, such as your level of frustration, your actions, and your decisions.

regret

Mature people are brave. They stay focused on the present, but they do imagine a better future. They want to experience life by clinging tightly to it, and they don’t turn up their noses to new opportunities.

They believe that if we were put here to live, then we should live. If things go wrong, then they’ll handle it.

That doesn’t mean they’re rash and unaware of what they’re doing. Impulsive people can be deathly afraid, too. Maturity and emotional intelligence make people brave, but also responsible and prudent.

The key is to not dread possible failure. If you’re being realistic, you won’t see failure as probable, just possible. 

There’s no use in waiting to be a little braver. Do you plan to stay forever on the shore, without knowing what it’s like to swim in the ocean?

You’re here to live, to take risks, to make your dreams come true and see the magic hidden behind them. And if you fail, you can learn and take flight again.

Don’t regret anything you’ve done; regret what you haven’t done out of fear.


This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.