regrets

I’d rather regret the things I have done than the things that I haven’t. ~ Lucille Ball

Ever have regrets?

Ever sit there and think to yourself: “I should have done ____ instead of ____”? Yeah, me too.

I’ve been focusing on my regrets a little bit more than I would like to lately. My heart is not where it wants to be at this point in my life and all I can think about is how I could have made other decisions. Or, how I could be somewhere else right now. And, this is a heavy weight to bear.

It’s bad enough that as soon as I read this post about regrets, a wave of anxiety washed over me, believing that this would be my future. If you haven’t read it, this post is sort of an eye-opener for those of us who aren’t living our lives authentically. You can probably think of things you wish you had done by now – a trip? Live in another country? Take a course? Connect with another person? Have a different career? Oh, how the list could go on…

I know that focusing on the past is not recommended, but sometimes it just creeps up on you, ya know? Sometimes you’re just not sure why you’re feeling down, but then you read an article like the one above and BAM! These things come washing over you and then you realize what’s up. Not fun. Kind of depressing? Yep.

Yes, I'm a Star Wars geek 🙂

I’m not trying to be depressing here or bring anybody down… it’s just me being my open and honest self again and letting you know that this happens to everyone at some point in their lives. How we deal with it is the key part. And yeah, I’m working on that. I do have a few key people that kick me in the butt to get my head out of the gutter and if you have people like that too, appreciate it! We need to get slapped upside the head every once in awhile (figuratively of course)… need to be reminded that life is a journey and we get what we take out of it. We also need those people to give us an extra kick when we feel like life is too hard and we’ll never get to where we want. Listen to them… sometimes, they actually know what they are talking about. Sometimes. 😉

It can also help to seek out online forums or blogs and join in on the conversations of others who may be in a similar position as you. It always helps to know that we are not alone in this journey. You can also keep a list of your favourite pages or online motivational posts, that might just help you get through the day – here’s a recent fave of mine: http://www.yourlifeyourway.net/2011/09/19/300-reasons-to-be-happy-things-to-love-about-your-life-now/. The little reminders in this post can be so helpful on those rough days… we have to remember to appreciate the small things as well.

Ok, so I got that off my chest. So, here’s to trying our best to live in the present and focusing less on the decisions in the past that we can’t change now. Let’s make a plan for the future… but don’t plan too much, because that can be overwhelming too. 😉 ॐ

What are some resources or tools you use when you get a little feeling of regret in your gut? How do you focus on moving forward?