How to Use Regret to Create a Fabulous Future
Why regret is an emotion no one wants at the party
When it comes to regret, are you a shoulder-shrugger or a handwringer?
Joanne was consumed with regret. Not about the decisions she’d made in her life, but about the decisions she’d avoided in case she made the wrong choice.
Barry was also consumed with regret. He regretted every decision he’d made and constantly ruminated on them.
Abigail wanted to leave her husband because he shrugged his shoulders at his misdeeds and never expressed regret.
How do you deal with regret?
Daniel Pink, author of The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward, surveyed over 4,000 Americans about their relationship with regret. He says that regrets fall into four categories.
These include not going for what you want. Also, making small decisions that have bad consequences. And, failing to reach out to others and acting inauthentically.
Clients say they regret past decisions. For example, meeting their ex. Or, getting married or divorced. Also, having or not having children.
But all these clients have one thing in common. They‘re all looking in the rearview mirror.
