Hitting the reset button is a fantasy I’ve had every once in a while all my life! I just wish I could walk into a secret room, grope around in the dark till I find that red big knob, flip the switch and wake up in my bed again like I did this morning. Story of your life? Haha you’ve got a friend in me!
And when I get out of bed, would i find myself in the same circumstances as before? Would I utter the same words I did or would I stay in the silence that cost me my day? Would I be as forgetful or careless as I was earlier or would it all be different because I got a second chance?
The fear is that I’d wake up this morning and, more likely than not, make the same mistakes I did that made me want to hit reset. I would be just as wise as I was this morning. I’d be without the awakening I got that pushed me to hit the imaginary reset. Before you know it I’d be stuck in a loop of reset and regret; never venturing forward, learning lessons and never having another opportunity to not make the same mistake.
Regret has this nauseating stench! It’s a hallucinogen that keeps you in a trance of “How could I do that?” “Why do bad things always happen to me?” “Why am I so unlucky?” “Today’s just going to be a bad day”
This is another one of life’s many choices we have to make: rub more and more of that hallucinogen under my nose or throw out the damn thing and have an awesome life!
Yes, you made a mistake. No matter how trivial or dire the mistake, it made you (and I hope it did) appreciate a very important lesson in life. You’re human. You are prone to make mistakes; some definitely more life changing and grave than the others. And that’s totally okay. Like I said, you’re only human
Life is wired to include ups and down and regret is a valley moment you don’t want to stay in forever. Three ways to start climbing out of the valley and up onto that hill:
1. Learn the lesson! It’s a rude awakening for a reason. There’s always a lesson to be learnt from regretting an action or inaction. Life threw lemons at you, making lemonades requires you reflecting on the situation and learning that one thing you shouldn’t ever repeat and those things you should do consistently. You don’t need to wallow in the stench. It doesn’t serve you well. Wake up and drink some lemonade (or chamomile tea if you may!)
2. Take a step. Practically do one thing that will reduce the chances of falling back in that mistake. For some people, you get daily reminders of your mistake. Maybe it’s time to set some new reminders that confirm the lesson you learnt. It could be a reminder on Siri or a weekly meeting you set up with your confidant or your therapist? It could be daily affirmations or a diary session with yourself. Whatever you do take a practical step away from regret.
3. Share the lesson. A lesson shared is a lesson learned. The more you share, the more you get familiar with the lesson and it becomes a part of you. It affirms that you believe in what you’re telling the whole world. More heart warming is that fact that you sharing provides a solution for someone else or gives someone else the opportunity to share their lessons too. The ripple effects of sharing are beautiful.
So friend, we can’t wallow in regret. We are gonna throw it out and remind ourselves of the lessons we learnt and have an awesome life!