APRIL PROMPT

Stripped of Innocence and Soaked in Regret

How one impulsive decision shaped a lifetime of self-worth

Image By ADDICTIVE_STOCK at Envato Elements

Have you ever launched yourself headfirst into a situation without clearly thinking through the consequences? Have you ever done something so impulsive, so undeniably thoughtless, that it shifted the entire direction of your life and altered how others perceived you?

I have — more times than I’d like to admit.

Growing up, people labelled me impulsive. But in my eyes, I was simply spontaneous, embracing life as it came. They called me irresponsible, while I thought they were merely afraid of living freely, afraid to embrace the unknown. They said that one day, I’d have regrets.

And they were right.

Yet, I’m glad I didn’t listen, because aren’t the people who whispered warnings really just like us?

Regret is a loaded term

In a society where relentless positivity has become the norm, regret has somehow become a taboo — a weakness to be hidden or denied. We wear “no regrets” like a badge of honour, reassuring ourselves and others that every misstep was part of a bigger, brighter picture. But are we just gaslighting ourselves, applying rose-tinted filters to decisions…