No Regrets.

Regret is a vicious and useless emotion.  It robs us of the ability to celebrate what’s going well today by keeping us stuck in a pattern of “woulda-coulda-shoulda.”  Ever heard the expression, “Hindsight is 20-20?”  That’s when we look back and re-evaluate at the decisions made in the past using the clarity, wisdom, maturity, and experience we have today.  It’s an unfair comparison which keeps us from becoming the best version of ourselves.

Here are five tips to prevent you from going down the slippery slope of regrets.  The suggestions are part of a process that will take some time to wrap your mind around, but the outcome will be well worth the efforts you make to improve how you view your past and how it has positively influenced your present life.

1. Forgive yourself for the decisions made and actions taken.  Tell yourself that you made the best decision possible given the information you had at the time.  You had no way of knowing what the future would hold, and you still don’t have that power.  Lighten up on your past self and think of these experiences as what has molded your present life. 
2. Think about those decisions and actions as learning opportunities.  Did you learn anything from them?  Of course, you did, because if you hadn’t gotten anything from the mistakes you made, you wouldn’t be able to look back with regret.  Remember that the only times we learn is when we fail.  Experience is our ally, not our enemy.   
3. If you don’t like where you’re at today because of past mistakes, focus your energy on that.   Think about the life lessons gained from your younger self.  You can’t change what’s already happened.  You can change what you do from here on.
4. Regrets about other people’s actions have no place in your vocabulary or your mind.  Why?  Because the only person who can decide how your life will move forward (or not) is you and only you.
5. Today is the day where you can choose to live regret-free.  Be conscious of your thought patterns, and when you hear those old negative thoughts pop up, challenge them with what you’re doing well today instead.

 Regrets are a waste of your precious time and energy.  Start working on making your life the best it can absolutely become.

Are you committed to living a regret-free life?