People say it’s pointless having regrets, because you can’t change the past.
As I see it, regrets are a useful and effective tool for changing and shaping your future.
I have a small bag of regrets that I (metaphorically) carry with me every day, and on my dark days, I sometimes take out those tokens to hold them and feel the heat and pain of the lesson.
I have four key sets of regrets that came about from a series of actions that I took – in the ways I behaved where I was not my best self.
I wish I had not done or said some of those things I did as a:
- Mother
- Wife
- Friend
- People leader
Here is what I do with these one of these regrets today (and effectively use this to shape my present and future):
As a mother. When my boys were young (and I was too), I had less patience. Occasionally, I allowed my temper and irritation to get the better of me. I recall some of these incidents with sadness and a great deal of regret.
While this regret can’t be changed – today, I want every single interaction with my boys to be 1000 times better.
I aim to remain loving, understanding, kind and compassionate in EVERY SINGLE interaction with my boys. I hope they don’t remember those incidents from their childhood when I was not my best self.
Of course, it’s really easy to be my best self with my sons because they are wonderful human beings. But I can say that in 2023, I had the opportunity to be irritated with one of my sons – but the reaction I chose was compassion – for both me and him. So I’m succeeding!
So, hold onto your regrets, friends – and use them as a platform to create a better you.
#bebetter #communicationskills
