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Daily Question, August 26

What can I learn from my regrets?

  • Mark Featherstone

    I learn that not everything works out as I want it to, and thats ok.

  • Cathy

    You speak my heart, dear Sunflower. What I’ve not been able to put into words, you have. TY.

  • Dusty Su
    My greatest regrets come from hurting others. So, what I learn is, do your best to love and help, in or move away from, situations that could contain hurt. Being able to sleep in my own head each night is so important, and I try to live my life so that I do not have regrets. If I were to die this night, I have lived in such a way that I can go in peace. Good life, a good death, comes from learning from regrets, also learning how not to have as many or give them too much power other than to make ...

    My greatest regrets come from hurting others. So, what I learn is, do your best to love and help, in or move away from, situations that could contain hurt. Being able to sleep in my own head each night is so important, and I try to live my life so that I do not have regrets. If I were to die this night, I have lived in such a way that I can go in peace. Good life, a good death, comes from learning from regrets, also learning how not to have as many or give them too much power other than to make things better.

    Read More
  • Anonymous

    When I confess my regrets, at first I feel a sense of bitterness in my soul, as happened a few days ago, when I told my husband some regrets of the past. Then, patiently, walking along the sea, listening to the waves, talking calmly, eating good food, we felt lighter, more connected, more alive, more aware, precisely because we talked together. Sometimes our regrets humbly lead us to success.

  • KellyL

    With regrets coming in all shapes and sizes, I have learned perspective and resilience.

  • Don Jones

    Not to unnecessarily linger in those domains or dimensions which slow the quest to bloom.

  • amacord

    Ouch…my regrets feel like accusations of my weak character…so the first step for me would be compassion for my mistake. And forgiveness for disappointing myself (and others). We can’t get through our lives without errors in judgment, impulsive actions and behaving badly. These are lessons in the classroom of life.

  • Hot Sauce
    My senior year of high school, I had a chance to make it to State. I had a shot of making it as an individual, and we also had a pretty good shot to make it as a team. Unfortunately, however, I was way too excited and overconfident. When the gun went off, I ran out like a bat out of hell and almost set a personal record for my one-mile mark (I was way in front of everyone). The last two miles were not so good, and none of us made it to state (a couple other people had apparently taken off stupid...

    My senior year of high school, I had a chance to make it to State. I had a shot of making it as an individual, and we also had a pretty good shot to make it as a team. Unfortunately, however, I was way too excited and overconfident. When the gun went off, I ran out like a bat out of hell and almost set a personal record for my one-mile mark (I was way in front of everyone). The last two miles were not so good, and none of us made it to state (a couple other people had apparently taken off stupidly fast as well, though not as bad as me). While I deeply regret this and sometimes wish I could go back and do it again, I also learned to balance a healthy sense of confidence and positive attitude with a healthy need for caution, strategy, and level-headedness.

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  • Debra

    To live more fully, openly, joyfully and lovingly in the moment.

  • Arleen

    In a word: everything. The definition of stupidity is doing the same things again and again thinking you will get different results. Learning from my regrets means I won’t make the same mistakes, unwise decisions, etc. again. It will make me think more closely before saying or doing anything.

  • Present Moment

    There are many actions in my long life I would do differently with my current knowledge, but I think of those as training runs. The only real regrets I have are those actions which negatively affected other living beings. So what I’ve learned is to pay more attention to how my actions bring consequences to others.

  • Javier Visionquest
    The universe and its creator has an order, a process; to realize all possibilities in their due time (such as we perceive it). It’s difficult to recognize the scope of this process in the narrow window of time which is a human life, narrower still when we experience this window of time through the hazy lens of ego-backed emotional demands of what we consider fair and right. The spiritual implication and energetic origin of diabetes has been described as a “longing for what might have been”...

    The universe and its creator has an order, a process; to realize all possibilities in their due time (such as we perceive it). It’s difficult to recognize the scope of this process in the narrow window of time which is a human life, narrower still when we experience this window of time through the hazy lens of ego-backed emotional demands of what we consider fair and right. The spiritual implication and energetic origin of diabetes has been described as a “longing for what might have been”.

    What if this whole episode were perfect all along and I missed all of its nuanced beauty for having to impatiently keep to some subjective schedule?

    For what we watched die in winter
    was resurrected again in spring
    In mourning loss we overlook
    Time’s way of perfecting everything

    Read More
    • Cathy

      I’ve read this four times, Javier, and I have felt my mind open to unlimited possibilities. “What if this whole episode were perfect all along……?” Indeed. Thank you for this seriously thought-provoking post.

  • Carol

    I’ve learned to turn “re” words into “be” words and when it’s too late to “re” do or “be” come, I work on letting go. Like many others who have shared, fear has so often been my motivator and for me, fear is always a sign that I’m not in the present moment. I’ve learned that if you are in the past or the future, you go there alone but the strength, the grace you need, flows in the now. I do my best to gratefully claim it

  • Anneclaire
    Beneath the longing and regret for what was not ... there is a deeper longing. I am an introvert who lived a life full of (worthwhile) activity. But, being too busy to face my inner regrets and longings does not allow for a deeper awareness, openness and healing ... I am home in isolation with some COVID-19 symptoms. Was too weak to go for testing ... Whether it was my intention or not, there are many regrets, inner wounds, dragons, demons, and longings that I can not run from right now. T...

    Beneath the longing and regret for what was not … there is a deeper longing.

    I am an introvert who lived a life full of (worthwhile) activity. But, being too busy to face my inner regrets and longings does not allow for a deeper awareness, openness and healing …

    I am home in isolation with some COVID-19 symptoms. Was too weak to go for testing …

    Whether it was my intention or not, there are many regrets, inner wounds, dragons, demons, and longings that I can not run from right now.

    The tempest in a teapot in which I lived my day to day life in the past is slowly settling and I clearly see I am missing nothing. The door is open.

    There is nothing missing, nothing to regret.

    Read More
    • Michele

      I hope you feel better! Healing energy to you:) I had ordered a home test kit from Lab Corp if you’re too weak to go out and get tested. Insurance covers it. https://www.pixel.labcorp.com/

    • pkr

      Dear Anneclaire, your response to today’s question is so beautiful. Your poignant words have touched my heart. Thank you.
      Sending you love, hugs and healing prayers. Hope you are feeling better soon. ❤️

    • Arleen

      I hope you feel better soon. And it makes me wonder how many people like you haven’t been tested because they are too weak to do so. I pray for them as well.

      Your thoughts are beautiful.

    • grateful sea

      Dear Anneclaire, your beautiful reflection has really touched my heart today, thank you. I send you heart-felt well wishes for your healing and return to strength.

    • Pollyanna Gladwell

      Thank you for the beautiful journey you took us through with your post, Anneclaire. I hope you feel better soon. xx

  • Zenith

    Humility and certainty of mind. The assurance that certain actions will never be repeated. Regrets teach us to monitor our thoughts, words, and actions. I heard once that there are no regrets. I understand the message behind that, but without regrets we can’t learn.

    • Arleen

      I have to agree with you about learning from our regrets. How else do we learn?

  • Michele

    The key word is learning. Learning from your regrets so as to grow and not make the same mistakes.

  • Carla

    The old adage “don’t put off to tomorrow what can be done today,” comes to mind. I have few regrets. They tend to be around action not taken, a card unsent, a call not made. I’m making some progress-more is needed around a bigger project still undone. A storage unit that needs emptying.

  • sunnypatti
    The things that I could regret, including those that I used to regret, have all put me where I am right now in this life. And I love where I am! I was reflecting on one of my hardest moments while journaling earlier (so funny this is the daily question), and wrote about how what happened was a big turning point for how I was living my life. It helped me get on the path I had been longing for but could never quite find because I was covering my eyes to avoid the truth. Sometimes one really does n...

    The things that I could regret, including those that I used to regret, have all put me where I am right now in this life. And I love where I am! I was reflecting on one of my hardest moments while journaling earlier (so funny this is the daily question), and wrote about how what happened was a big turning point for how I was living my life. It helped me get on the path I had been longing for but could never quite find because I was covering my eyes to avoid the truth. Sometimes one really does need to hit rock bottom before they can find the life they were meant to live. Beauty, like a lotus, can immerse from the muddiest of waters. I have a rich and beautiful life, and my connection to God and myself is beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Life is so good, y’all!

    Read More
  • Trish

    I have learned that life is filled with opportunities and when I’m impulsive & reckless my choices often invite trouble into my life. When I slow down, breathe & invite wisdom to take the lead~the world opens up.

  • Howie Geib
    Despite what they say, I can’t actually have everything.There was a bumper sticker in the parking lot of the Stop and Shop I thought was great. It was on a beat up old car and it said: “Clearly I have made some bad choices.” I loved it. There is nothing wrong with making bad choices. Also sometimes my regrets are for things I didn’t do, choices put off and neglected until the opportunity was lost. There was a long time I regretted not finishing my degree. So I finally had the money and I...

    Despite what they say, I can’t actually have everything.There was a bumper sticker in the parking lot of the Stop and Shop I thought was great. It was on a beat up old car and it said: “Clearly I have made some bad choices.” I loved it. There is nothing wrong with making bad choices. Also sometimes my regrets are for things I didn’t do, choices put off and neglected until the opportunity was lost. There was a long time I regretted not finishing my degree. So I finally had the money and I went back and I HATED school…so I didn’t continue. I needed to do that to realize that I didn’t get a degree because I hated being at school and so getting a degree to just ‘get a degree’ made no sense in the heat of battle. Sometimes my regrets are romantic reflections devoid of pertinent facts. But mainly I regret (truly regret) being run by fear. Fear has an essential seat at the table of the committee in my head, yet fear cannot be made the Chief of Staff or (God forbid) the CEO. When that has happened I have a diminished life.

    One last thing Regrets are a signal that someone is due an apology, an amends. That is something to learn from the feeling of regret, and so they are useful. Now, more than ever, we seem to have a culture here in the US that is over-permissive in terms of how we give little notice to how our choices effect others.

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    • Trish

      Fear has attempted to diminish my life too. It’s so persistent….

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