How to Never Regret a Decision Again

Published: Nov. 2, 2021, 10 a.m.

\u201cDo you regret going to law school?\u201d I get this all the time.

Why would I waste a single second regretting something I can\u2019t change?\xa0

No matter how much I replay it, beat myself up, blame other people, think about how much better my life would be if I didn\u2019t go...

It won\u2019t change the fact that I went to law school.\xa0

So instead of wasting my time on something I can\u2019t change, I focus on what I want to do with my life from here on out.\xa0

That doesn\u2019t mean that I can\u2019t learn from my past decisions.

I look back and evaluate why I choose to go:

\u27a4 where was I abandoning myself for other people\u2019s approval?

\u27a4 where was I seeking validation instead of listening to my gut?

\u27a4 where was I simply doing what I was told instead of questioning it?

I do all of that so that I can make better decisions in the future.

But that doesn\u2019t mean I ever spend the time regretting my decision.

Because it is done.

And I had my reasons (even if I wouldn\u2019t choose those reasons now).

And I can have self-compassion for the old me who didn\u2019t know any better.

And I gain nothing by torturing myself with regret.

Because regret comes from a thought.

The thought: \u201cIf I hadn\u2019t made that decision, my life would be so much better.\u201d

And that\u2019s a lie.

I have no idea how my life would have turned out.

So I choose not to think that thought.

And you can choose the same thing.\xa0

Because regret is a choice.