Why I Never Regret Anything

How to be freed from your past

During my senior year of college, my friends were planning a trip to the mountains during a long weekend. Months in advance I agreed to go and looked forward to it. A nature weekend gateway was just up my alley!

However, as it got closer to the departure date, I started to question my decision. My friends were counting on me to go and included me in the final payment numbers. Two weeks leading up to the trip I knew I would be bombarded with school work. I had two mid-term exams the Monday and Tuesday after the trip and two essays due. We planned to arrive back on campus Sunday afternoon.

School has always been extremely important to me and it always came first. After all, I was in college to get an education. So I struggled with what to do. I knew if I went on the trip, I would be nervous and anxious the whole time with all the work I had ahead of me. I would be distracted and worried I wouldn't have enough time to get my school work done. I would not be present or fully enjoy the time with my friends. I would be exhausted from the trip, and Sunday night would not cut it for all the work I had to do.

After going back and forth in my head, I decided not to go. I felt this was the best decision for myself, even though I knew I would be missing out. It put my mental health as ease. I had a tough conversation with my friends, who naturally tried to persuade me to go. They expressed they felt I wasn’t making time for them. Hearing these words, of course, broke my heart, I never want anyone important to me to think I don’t care about them. I was put in a tough situation. They said:

“when you look back, you won’t remember the time you spent in the library, you’ll remember fun times with your friends”

This was good advice. I look back now and wish I could have gone and made those memories. But I don’t regret my decision. I saved myself unnecessary stress and anxiety. The decision was right for my own peace of mind.

Ever look back at your life and regret the decisions or choices you’ve made? Sure, you have! This is normal human thinking.

I used to look back and wish I would have done things differently in my life. However, thinking like this does no good. We can’t go back and change what happened, so there’s no sense in causing stress and worrying.

A good friend once told me she never regrets any decision she makes, because at the time she thought she was doing the right thing.

From then on, I have adopted this mentality. My friend was absolutely right, all we can do is our best in each moment. If you believe you are making the right decision — stick with it and never look back.

What we may perceive as a “regret” helps us to learn. Each day we learn and grow. We gain knowledge with every life experience. We may look back and perceive a decision as a regret, because of the wisdom we’ve gained since making that decision. At the time, however, we were doing the best we could.

I used to view my college major as a regret. I wasn’t passionate about the material or potential future career. I chose that major because it would give me job stability and financial freedom, which at the time were important to me. Since then, I’ve learned being happy in my career and doing fulfilling work are more important. I’ve come a long way with this realization. Instead of wishing, I would have chosen a different area of study, I made peace with my decision. Although I may not want to pursue a career in that field, it taught me valuable skills I will use for the rest of my life. It gave me something to fall back on if all else fails. It made me the person I am today. And most importantly it was the right decision for me at the time.

All we can do is learn from our past decisions and make better ones in the future. Take the wisdom we’ve gained to move forward. Every choice, action and decision has made you the person you are today. This includes your mistakes and regrets.

In a world that seems uncontrollable, let’s take advantage of what we can control!