190: Living With The Pains Of Regret
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“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.”- Jim Rohn
There are 2 types of pains that we all go through; the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. Most of us have had to go through some harsh discipline in our lives. Parents correcting their children, teachers challenging their students, having to say no to things we love, etc. The one pain that we always seem to forget is the pain of regret.
The pain of regret has been with us throughout our entire lives. While we were young we took actions that caused us to regret them…usually due to the discipline or consequences that came afterwards. As we get older our focus on regret shifts. No longer are we regretting what we have done. We begin to regret the things we haven’t done.
Every single person out there has something they really want to do, but it always gets pushed off to “later.” Maybe things in life come up that take our focus away from our goals or desires, or maybe it is fear that causes us to hesitate when those things come up.
My mom came up to me last year and asked me to go with her to visit her brother-my uncle. I had never met my uncle and am not really a people person. My mom went with my sister and met with her brother without me. Fast forward to this year during the first two weeks of the COVID-19 quarantine in Washington State. We got a call from my aunt letting us know that my mom’s brother had passed away. It was at that time that I started to really understand the power of the pain we go through when we miss opportunities. I regretted not taking that time to meat my uncle and making that connection. That connection could have made my relationship with my mother stronger and given a profound memory that I could have shared and held onto. Now it is too late. I missed that boat.
We all are presented with opportunities every day. Some small, others larger. The thing to do is to try to take as many opportunities that we can so that we live a life without regrets. If personal, financial, or work things get in the way of your plans or opportunities, take actions that will help you better prepare for those opportunities the next time they come up.
Get started with a savings plan so your financials are not the thing that hold you back. Make sure you complete your work projects in a timely manner so that you don’t have those last-minute fixes preventing you from taking time off when you need it. Make sure you communicate with those you have relationships with. Communication will help you plan around your everyday life. Don’t suffer the pain of regret because you failed to act. It is more painful than the inconvenience that we face when you do take the action.
