No regrets

August 1, 2017
no regrets

France, 2017

I’ve done some pretty cringe-worthy things in my life. I still do some. I can be short and snappy and not so nice. No, I’m not going to pretend I’m holier-than-thou because I’m not. I can be as petty as anyone else.

Sure, I catch myself afterwards and shake my head. “A work in progress,” I think to myself. But aren’t we all?

And while I don’t believe in a judgmental God I do know that I’ll be replaying those scenarios when I’m on the other side, only this time I’ll be feeling what the object of my attention is feeling. So that I can learn.

If you think that’s not a daunting thought… and I think it’s what keeps me more or less on the straight and narrow. Because I don’t want to have to feel what the other person is feeling. Even though I know I will have to.

It’s all a lesson.

Everything.

The good, the bad, the ugly.

We’re meant to learn.

Just sayin’.

42 comments on “No regrets
  1. Emmanuel says:

    When Thomas Edison was asked whether he sees himself as a failure after trying more than 10,000 times before he could breakthrough with the light bulb.
    His answer was simple; ‘I just found 10,000 ways it wouldn’t work’. There must certainly not be regrets in LIFE. Only lessons must be learned and then we take it from there.

  2. Toni McCloe says:

    I love that post.From seeing yourself as a work in progress to what you believe will happen in the Afterlife!

  3. I can be quite snippy sometimes as well. I’m getting better at apologizing, though, which is a big step for me.

  4. Doria says:

    This is such a good reminder! Sometimes you do the best you can in the moment, but look back and questions what the heck you were thinking. It’s important to remember not to bash ourselves over and over again for everything.

  5. Life would be much easier if people used this rule.

  6. Billie says:

    I agree- regrets are a waste of time and everything, good or bad is a lesson.

  7. I was blessed with a sometimes painful ability to feel others pain. My friends tease me and say I was given an extra empathy bone.
    It does help to remind me to always be kind. We truly never really know why others do what they do.

  8. Chef Dennis says:

    having regrets doesn’t do anyone any good. You just have to keep doing your best and hope that everything works out

  9. Marysa says:

    No one is perfect, and we learn from our mistakes. Sounds like you have this under control.. rolling with it and learning as you go. I am learning a lot as a parent along the way, it’s tough.

  10. I really like this outlook. I try to tell my kids at school that all the time. Learning experiences.

  11. Claudia Krusch says:

    It is important to try to learn from our mistakes. I try not to regret things. It can be such a waste of energy.

  12. Well tat is life we cannot live life with regrets we just need to learn and move on. That’s one of the keys for a peaceful mindset.

  13. Dogvills says:

    You are so right about this. Everything is a lesson. We make mistakes and we regret them, but we should also move on and try not to make the same mistakes next time.

  14. Joely Smith says:

    None of us are perfect. Those who seem to think, or worse, say that they are, are the type I tend to steer away from!

  15. Andrea says:

    Learning from your mistakes is the most important thing, there’s no use at all in having regrets.

  16. ricci says:

    I used to regret a LOT of things but then I realized that without having done those things I wouldn’t be where I am today so I try not to think about those things. Love this post and how real and honest you are.

  17. You are spot on. I too is a work in progress, I always take every mistake I made as a learning process.

  18. Such a good reminder for all of us. We do things that we’re not proud of and we’re not perfect. It’s important that we keep in mind that we’re a work in progress and we must not let the things that we did in the past define our future.

  19. Czjai says:

    I agree. We should all learn from our mistakes, and not let these bad experiences stop us from being a better person. 🙂

  20. Jennifer G says:

    This is such an important thing to remember. We all make mistakes and no one is perfect. It is really important to see ahead in life and not look back.

  21. Ronnie says:

    Great point. All our mistakes, all our bad or hurtful decisions, it’s all a part of growing, learning and developing into who we are and will be.

  22. Nadalie says:

    We are all just works in progress. I’m right there with you, I’m not perfect, far from it, I lose it, I snap at people sometimes. But, I’m always pushing myself to be better and to grow. Thanks for your honesty!

  23. Emily says:

    This is very true! We are all just a work in progress and perfection is overrated anyways 🙂 Learning from mistakes or stumbles is what builds us up to be strong!

  24. Honey, we all have done cringe-worthy things at some point in our lives. You learn from them, live with it, and move on.

  25. Deanna says:

    Everything happens for a reason. I really do believe that. This is an amazing post!

  26. uprunforlife says:

    I think we have all done things that we aren’t necessarily proud of. But remember it is part of our story and part of who we are today. Just take it as a learning opportunity and forgive yourself.

  27. Glenda says:

    This is a very beautiful poem. What is good is knowing that we are not holier than others. Seeing our imperfections is a gift.

  28. I don’t believe in a judgmental God either but I sure do believe in a loving God who helps us through the moments where we need guidance. We are ALWAYS a work in progress and we are ALWAYS needing to learn from our failing moments.

  29. Victoria says:

    I know this is true. However, with all the horrible mistakes I’ve made, I find it hard to forgive myself and let go.This is such a valuable lesson,

  30. Julie Torres says:

    Agree. Everything happens for a reason and we learn from our mistakes instead of regretting it because it already happened. You can’t change anything about it.

  31. Roxy says:

    No one is perfect! But I fully believe everything happens for a reason, definitely no regret on my end either

  32. Life is full of lessons. I don’t think we’re growing unless we’re learning.

  33. Mimi Green says:

    I try to be intentional in how and treat people. However, there are some things that happen that take me all the way out of character.

  34. Rosey says:

    Mistakes or not getting it just right are part of life. Those things all have their place too in helping us learn and even appreciate things more.

  35. TIm B says:

    I’ve been wanting to visit France myself and your picture reminded me haven’t made that happen yet. Maybe when my kids are out of the house I’ll get a chance one day.

  36. I agree with you– we are all a work in progress. Making mistakes is part of being human, but learning and growing from them is our choice. As I get older, I try not to harp too much on past mistakes, but use them as motivation to be better. And sometimes those missteps provide a good laugh when I look back : )
    xoxo,
    Liv
    http://www.livslookbook.com

  37. Elizabeth o says:

    We all fall short and that is what makes us human. The great part of it all is that some of is are reflective while others don’t care. Your thoughts are sincere…. We are all a work in process.

  38. E H says:

    I have been thinking about these same issues as well. So many things, when you look back at life, we could have done differently. Who knows what the outcomes would have been. I am mostly at peace with my own decisions, I have always been. They have usually been thought over pretty well. It’s what others have sometimes done that is still unsettled in my mind, and that I am struggling to be at peace with. Work in progress for me.

  39. Louisa says:

    This is such a thought-provoking post. It definitely makes me reflect on what I can do to be better.

  40. Rebecca Swenor says:

    We all are indeed works in progress. I have always believed that life is just lessons good or bad for us.Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

  41. Silly Mummy says:

    Well said. I want to be better at having a no regrets philosophy.

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