Regrets

Ever reach that point in your life where you’ve become so disappointed in yourself and asked questions like, “what if I never went to that place? Or what if I never met that person? Or what if I never made that decision?” Well, it’s a little too late for that now. You find yourself trapped in a hell-on-earth state. No, you are not burning in those raging flames inside that deep hole reserved for those who didn’t follow the rules and regulations of their denomination right next to that red-horned devil. However, you are feeling pretty low. You may even find yourself in a profoundly sad state. Not even the jokes from the funniest comedian can put a smile on your face. It’s the realization that you did something that you feel like you weren’t supposed to do or said something you weren’t supposed to say, and now you are forced to eat every ounce of that bitter fruit of your labor. Now you wish you could go back and stop yourself from making that colossal mistake to which you are currently paying the consequences. Unfortunately, there is no way to go about doing so. Therefore, you are now stuck, wondering when the suffering will end. To me, this is what having regrets feels like when it finally hits you.

The old and wise like to say, “live life without regrets.” However, this is easier said than done. At some point in our lives, we all wish we could go back and correct some mistakes that we’ve made to get out of our unpleasant situation. Well, one thing I found out is that having regrets may be the first sign that we have just realized how mistakes, and it is the stage where we have the opportunity to build ourselves back up. The key, however, is to not remain in a constant state of being regretful. Instead, it is to learn from our mistakes and take the necessary steps to get our lives back on track. It is essential to know that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how tragic life may be at times. Time may be the only thing slowing you down from making it to the end. However, once you’re there, you become wiser and even grateful that you had made that mistake. Besides, having to go through the suffering makes us stronger and wiser. Throughout our experiences in life, we gain so much wisdom.

The truth is, there is an exchange of both good and bad throughout every single experience that we go through. We give up an opportunity for every action we take that could have propelled us to newer heights. That is when we tend to have regrets and wish that we did the alternative instead. We need to learn to accept and live with the results of our actions for the time being. Fortunately, all things, both negative and positive, eventually come to an end. Therefore, there must come a time when we become liberated. Instead of counting down the days of suffering, focus your energy on where you want to be. Then take action towards that goal. Create a plan and work on it. Some people say man makes plans, and God laughs. Well, I say a man living his life and going on without a plan will make God laugh harder. That is because an individual without a plan is a lost soul in this world. After all, a plan is nothing more than a path to one’s achievement. The probability of it coming into fruition has everything to do with where one focuses his or her attention and how much energy or work they’re willing to put into it. Having regrets is a reminder that at some point, we were going through life living only for that moment, and therefore nothing was planned. Not having a plan can result in having regrets later in life. However, to let go of the guilt and move forward, one should start by having a plan to be in a much better position in one’s life.

There is also that old saying, “when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.” Since life isn’t necessarily something that happens to us, but the sum of the results of our actions towards it, this can be another way of saying, “make the best out of your failures and shortcomings.” True that there are some negative experiences that we’ve gone through that were out of our control. However, learning from those moments and vow to ourselves to not allow history to repeat itself is a great way to make the best out of the worse in life. When we do this, we tend to let go of regrets and make better choices in the future.

Finally, be grateful and not regretful. Everything happens for a reason. However, that’s the last thing we want to hear when going through a tough time. The reality is that we should be grateful even for the negative experiences. When we make a poor decision and then have to pay for it, that becomes a lesson learned, and with that lesson comes caution, proactivity, and a new perspective on the subject at hand. Some things are lessons, while others are blessings. Either one we receive, we should be grateful that we did. Receiving either one will only make us better than we were before.

I have had many regrets in my life. However, I have come to learn that I wouldn’t be the man I am today if I hadn’t made those mistakes and pay the consequences. I have recently realized that sometimes in trying to please other people, I reserve my unique suite in Hell for me to stay in even when everyone around me thinks differently about my situation. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have the proper guidance in life. Therefore, mistakes are bound to happen, and with those mistakes may come some regrets. However, don’t hold on to those regrets and increasing your wish list. Instead, let go of them by being grateful that we went through what we went through, learn the essential lessons that came with them, and develop a plan to get to a better place from that depressing place we found ourselves.