Entry #13: “Live With No Regrets”

“Live with no regrets.”

This was a wonderful, inspiring, and encouraging life motto I took on some years back. It was great, it was helpful, it helped me consider my options that much more, and it helped me think clearer. 

Until it became more of a burden than a relief.

I got so caught up in “living with no regrets” that I almost forgot to actually live. I viewed my regrets as failures in life and allowed them to beat me up. 

I’ve noticed that I’m not alone in thinking this way about failures. Regrets and failures can equally be viewed as solely negative things rather than positive.

I had a view of my “regrets” as an overall failure in life.

But lately the tables have turned on people’s view of failures. Failures are what shape us; failures are merely a detour to where you were supposed to go. 

If regrets lead to a failure or vice versa, and failures can be viewed as a good thing, then wouldn’t a “regret” be seen the same? Shouldn’t it be seen the same?

This is what I’m pondering this morning. 

I had gotten so caught up in “living with no regrets” that I actually ended up with some regrets anyway. I thought the other option would surely lead to a regret of some kind. But now I’ll never know. And I have to be okay with that. 

I can’t let the possibility and probability of each option leading me to a regret deter me from actually living life. All I can really do is seek God on the choices, choose, and let myself be at peace no matter the outcome. 

Regrets, like failures, shape us too. They teach lessons. Are we willing to learn? Are we ready for life’s constructive criticism? Can we withstand it? My encouragement is that we should be. Not all of us are there yet, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s why those of us who are should be lending hands to those who aren’t and remind them that it’s not the end of the road just yet. It’ll be okay.