What use is regret?

Photo by lucas clarysse on Unsplash

Regret is one of those things that falls under the category of “items in life whose greatest effect is to damage the vessel that contains them”

Regret is often unavoidable. It springs up in the mind unbidden — the failed relationship, the half-written book, the time wasted in thinking and not acting. It’s first appearance is the entryway into a hallway full of mirrors, where new facets of that’s some regret become apparent, leading us into new rooms full of other regrets. It’s less of a spiral and more of a circular path, one that typically goes nowhere but takes up precious mental cycles.

But, are there upsides to regret? Here are 2 possibilities:1) Regrets can be fuel to change our ways. The regret over that mean thing we said could make us think twice about the power of our words in future. Regret over wasted time might make us plan better the next time.2) They allow us to practice ignoring sunk costs. That time is over, and won’t come back. The investment is spent, and is not ours anymore. No amount of investment of our time and energy in the future will change that, so the best path is to ignore them, and move on. Sometimes, the past doesn’t have to dictate the future, and all we have to do is make the choice that thats the way it’s going to be.

Don’t throw good life after bad regrets. Decide on a new path, and watch yourself grow.