Regrets, Mistakes and Destiny

"Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future.” Fulton Oursler


I had a very in depth conversation yesterday with my husband. We discussed the anxiety that comes with making choices, wondering if you are doing the right thing, changing your life, and fearing that you may do something that will put you on a course that will change your life forever for the negative.

How often do we refuse to make choices in life, allowing and hoping life will do it for us? The fear of consequence can be crippling. It is often that people stick with what they know, refusing to move one way or the other despite our own desires, hopes and dreams.

I often hear stories of people who are in therapy because of regret. They regret the people they are, the places the live, the people they love, who love them, their children, their jobs, their entire lives. Granted none of these people have died or have ever killed anyone with choices they have made but they always wonder "Could I have made a better choice?" The truth is, you may never know.

(Now if you robbed a bank and are sitting in jail, yes you could have made a much better choice, but at the time I am sure it seemed like a good solution to a problem.)

The truth is as I have learned its all about perspective. Do you dwell on regret or do you live with the mistakes, pick up and continue to try and make better choices to improve your life? Do you have the ability to chalk it up to a "life lesson" and see it as growth.

We are all so afraid of hurting that we will do things to protect ourselves from that hurt. We worry and dwell on life's natural occurrence of just living. By failing to take a chance, to move, to be moved, to make a choice without fear we often times just end up broken, lost and left behind.

We all have regrets, I have regrets. I regret the things I have done to hurt people who I care about, love and adore, but I cannot do anything about the past and choices I have made or failed to make. I have to accept what has been done and move on refusing to make the same mistake twice.

“I would much rather have regrets about not doing what people said, than regretting not doing what my heart led me to and wondering what life had been like if I'd just been myself.” Brittany Renee