I don’t know about you, but I have a big problem handling regret. It is so easy for me to tell myself that I didn’t do the right thing in a particular situation. For example, I know that I could have done a better job raising my children. Often, I wonder if I did things that will have a long-term bad effect on them. Maybe it’s my personality, but I tend to relive experiences and think about how I should have handled them.
On a daily basis, I have to tell myself not to live in the past because I definitely cannot change it. At the time things happened, I did what I thought I should do and what my experience allowed me to do. Of course, with age and time, it’s so easy to see what I should have done instead of what I did.
If you’re like me and regret is monopolizing your thoughts, remember that whatever happened happened. You cannot live it over and, in reality, probably wouldn’t want to. Tell yourself that you did what you knew how to do at the time and at that point in your experience. In retrospect, you may know better–and that’s good because it means that you won’t do the same thing again if a similar situation arises. Think about how much more you can do with your life now that you have learned some of the things not to do. Let that inspire to live day each fully–without regret.
