@firepower If only we knew everything when we were four!
The good news is that there is an alternative to the emotional paralysis of, “I should have known better-itis.” Instead of wishing you had known better and kicking yourself that you didn’t, how about giving yourself a second chance?
Give Yourself a “Second Chance Checklist”
-Turn unproductive regrets into productive regrets.....!
Regrets are important in our life to help us self-correct. The key is to recover from and build on the sharp sting of regrets to look for the lessons learned and take comfort in the fact that these lessons make us wiser.
-Take comfort in the fact... that regrets help us develop empathy for others.
How would we ever develop real empathy if we never made a mistake or a wrong turn? It is regrets that keep us in check from being judgmental and arrogant. Thus, we become better people who, in turn, have more compassion and empathy for others. Empathy is considered to be one of the cornerstones of emotional intelligence.
We can’t turn back the clock of time. Good or bad, right or wrong, it is done. It’s over!
Once the ingredients are mixed, we can not separate them apart.
Once a word goes from our mouth, we can not take it back.
Once we do an action, we can not choose another one in its place.
Once wood is reduced to sawdust, you can’t make it back into a board.