Do You Regret The Choices You Made?

It is so easy to fall into the trap of "regret", isn't it? As soon as we realize we made a mistake, we start traveling along the course of "what if".

What if I had done this instead of that?
What if I had never left that job?
What if I'd refused to do such-and-such thing 20 years ago?
What if I'd never got involved with that guy?
What if I had asked that girl out?

The list of "what ifs" can be endless. But do they serve a purpose? 🤔

. . .

Killing my old blog, for good, was one of the toughest decisions I've had to make till now.

I had seen that blog evolve for over a decade, watched it grow from exactly *six* readers to over a couple of hundred regular followers... AND thousands of occasional visitors from all parts of the world. I had nurtured it, and celebrated every little achievement like a proud mommy.

And then I killed it. Right after it entered its teens. 😔

Needless to say, I went through my cycle of "what ifs".

But then I got to learn some amazing new skills. Met some inspiring new people. Discovered some hidden talents, as well as new career possibilities.

Found my life purpose!

Would any of that have happened if not for the circumstances that led to the demise of my old blog?

Nope.

Do I regret all these things that happened subsequently, BECAUSE I had to let go of the old blog?

Of course NOT!

Then why regret what happened at all?

. . .

Let's look at it from another angle, shall we? 🤔

Do I even WANT TO go back to being who I was before this drastic change happened in my life? If I had a choice, would I still want to write on my old blog instead of this new Mug Of Muse?

A big N.O. !!!

Then honestly, WHAT is the point of "crying over spilt milk" and regretting what happened?

Drew Barrymore once said -

"I never regret anything. Because every little detail of your life is what made you into who you are in the end."

I'm inclined to agree with her on this.

Whatever happens to us in life, whatever choices we take along our journey, put us on the path we ARE ON currently. If not for the things that happened along the way, we wouldn't be WHERE we are; we wouldn't be WHO we are.

So yes, undesired experiences DO serve a purpose, but it isn't that of making us bitter or vengeful or hateful or even fearful. Rather, such experiences are only meant to educate us -- make us wiser, more compassionate, more judicious, more courageous...

Someone once told me -

"It's a cruel way indeed, to look at the past through the prism of hindsight."

If we are looking at the past with an eye of blame and regret, then YES, it IS a cruel way indeed, but if we are looking at it through the frame of learning, well...

If I had the opportunity to re-live my past, I wouldn't want to change a thing. I did my best, took the best option available to me at the time -- based on the data and resources I had at the time -- and then used that unpleasant experience to make myself even better... MORE resourceful!

Wouldn't trade that to avoid a bit of "temporary" setback and heartache.

What about you though? Do you repeatedly find yourself caught in the whirlpool of "what ifs"? Do you have any regrets? If yes, then what are they? And if given the chance, would you like to do your life all over again, differently? How would your life be different because of that? How would YOU be different because of that? 🤔

Here's more in MyMusings...

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