Question #43
“What do you do in situations where you regret something you said or did?”
Dear RH,
Most of the times I’ve experience regret, it’s been for something I didn’t say or do, to be honest. But here are some things I consider in these kinds of situations.
Will I have another chance? If I missed the deadline, is there another round, or a deadline extension that I can take advantage of? If it’s something I said, will be able to make it right?
Am I happy with my (alternate) choice? Maybe option A turned out to be amazing, and I regret not choosing it, but am I happy with the option B that I chose? There will always be that tiny tinge for what could have been, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t be content with the way things ended up.
Is there a place I can do things differently in the future? I remember especially in my 20s missing out on things because I couldn’t find people to go with me. I decided that when it came to things I really wanted, I’d either go by myself or by two tickets first and find someone to go with me later.
Also, regret is okay. It’s totally fine to wish you’d done something else, or something differently, or not said something. But the important this is not to get so stuck in thinking about what could have happened that you miss the opportunity to enjoy what you actually have.
