Regret

We all have regrets. I make myself shudder by saying such a generic thing, but it's true. There are so many things I've done, things I've said, as well as things I haven't done and failed to say that I deeply regret. I think the most important thing about regret is not to let it consume you. Yes you should feel remorse, but to let it bury you and keep you down isn't healthy. For me personally, I use regret as a kind of fuel to drive me forward and to avoid those same pitfalls that have troubled me in the past. One of the worst regrets I've ever felt was after making the same mistake that I had already made before. That regret was particularly strong because it felt like I didn't learn from my mistakes. I remember the saying "the only true mistakes are the ones we don't learn from" and at those moments of repeat slip ups and there have been few times when I've felt worse. However, I try to remind myself as much as I can, that I'm human and I'm inherently flawed. At some points we're able to overcome those flaws, but to think that we'll come out on top every single time is just flat out unrealistic. If there's one thing that regret has taught me, it's that we as humans have a phenomenal ability to put ourselves down time after time, and to let our guilt get the best of us. There needs to be a balance with regret. On one side, we need to hold ourselves accountable for our mistakes, but on the other hand we can't let regret keep us from taking risks again. Life is full of risk, and sometimes, through our own fault or not, we're going to fail or fall short in some endeavors. But we can't let that regret keep us from stepping outside our comfort zones in the future. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" as the old saying goes. Again, yes you should hold yourself accountable for your mistakes and flawed behavior, but you can't let it cripple you for the rest of your life.