Regrets — please don’t have them. Really.
Regrets only lead to frustration over something that you can’t possibly change. In most cases, that “thing” was a choice made in the past that didn’t go the way you had planned. But, here’s the thing about choices:
You can’t redo your life; you can’t go back.
I was recently teaching Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” to my high school seniors. And they, just the metaphorical crossroad that Frost was facing in the poem, have serious, consequential choices to make about their futures. I always enjoy talking with my students about life. Their fresh minds often enlighten my seasoned mind. The way young people speak about life is often very reflective and curious. And this particular time was no different.
You cannot have a do-over in life, they said.
This is what my students determined by reading the poem. But, they were adamant that you can still veer to change the course of one’s life. Just like Frost, who chose the road that most people wouldn’t, he could, as they said, change his course.
And, according to Frost, “That (his choice) made all the difference”. Ambiguous, but true.
It is ok to change the course!
Yes, often we are victim of our choices. It is a sure thing that somewhere down the road we have made choices that seemed down right stupid for our lives. And yes, you can’t go back. But, it’s ok to move on. Turn around and go back. Begin again.
There is no shame in cutting your losses and changing the course of your life. There is also no shame in taking risks; sometimes you just have to.
Nothing moves your life a forward motion but you.
So, when you are staring down the crossroads in your life, it’s ok to take the road not taken before, but if that choice isn’t right for you, you can’t do a do-over, but — you can change the course.
This will make all the difference.
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