Regrets turns to Gifts

Regrets? We've all had a few. Whether its things you did and wished you didn't, or things you never did and wished you had, the sting of regret bites hard. `Whenever one door closes, another one always opens´.
 “It’s not that you don’t regret things in life, but you at least try to learn from them.”We should all keep something flawed or misspelled close by to remind us that this is the nature of life. If we get hung up on imperfections, we will live in a state of perpetual regret.

Its what’s on the inside that matters, and the inside is where we handle disappointment without lapsing into bitterness or regret. If you keep in the back of your mind that one day you will be looking back on choices you make today, you can make choices now that you will be proud of for years to come. (or not, because none of us is perfect, but this is a later step and I don’t want to regret getting ahead of myself here). But as far as is humanly possible, make choices now that align with your highest hopes and you will minimize regret later.

As Stephen Covey says, “The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.”

No one is holding a gun to your head when you make choices. If it feels like someone is holding you to ransom, you need to find more options. The beauty of this step is that its all YOU! You get to decide. If things work well, kudos. If things don’t work out well, fine, change course, its still YOU! Do it freely without guilt or shame.

Victoria Holt said, “Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.”

 We all make mistakes, so do your best in each moment, forgive yourself if need be and move on.There is a place for forgetting. Norman Vincent Peale described the art of forgetting:

Man is what he remembers, but man is also what he forgets. One of the healthiest things a human being can do is to become a master of forgetting. Whatever you do, don’t lug your resentments, your hates, your frustrations, your disappointments, your regrets into the New Year. Forge ahead! It is a great art to know how to forget. Drop it, skip it, let it go — whatever it is. Start anew.

 You might regret something from your past, but it might have brought you more gifts than you realize. Focus on the gifts and it will shift your perspective. When you feel yourself getting sucked back into regret’s black hole, go and find a couple of doors. Slam one, and watch another one open. Regret is like putting your foot in  the way of closing door rather than running to go through the door that is opening.

Last words to Mel Brooks. He was asked, “How should a man handle regret?”

 It’s hard not to, but don’t regret, just forget about it. Don’t take negative time, just take positive time.