Hello! Your regrets would like a word with you! But what do you do when they kindly come knocking? You turn and run! And that makes sense: after all, who wants to feel bad? But: did you know that your regrets have something essential to teach you, and are actually trying to help you feel good, if you would make the time to listen to them? So in this brief post, we are going to explore why listening to your regrets is a good idea (even when you want to bury them in a drawer).

Trying to relax?

It’s been another day of one thing after another. So you close your eyes and do your best to shut out the intrusions of the day. And then along comes a nasty regret, which may be as fresh as something that happened today, or something that happened a long time ago. (Or it might be something that happened today that reminded you of something that happened a long time ago.)

And what do you do when that intrusive regret comes along? You do your best to shut it out. “Get away!” you say.

But what if your regrets could help you?

You have probably heard about the family in Los Angeles who were trapped in their car during recent flooding. Can you imagine if a rescue boat came by to offer them help and they said, “No, thanks!” You’ve seen the footage. The family is in the car, they can’t get out, the water is rising. 

It’s like that with your regrets. You just don’t know how seriously you are going under at the moment. Outside, you’re holding it together. But inside, you’re drowning. And you don’t even know it. Why not? Because you’re not listening to yourself. 

Your lack of listening applies to listening to your regrets as well. Along with so many things that are happening in your heart and mind right now, you are trying to hard to just keep it together, that you’re not listening to the warning signs, or the solutions being presented to you on a daily basis. 

Your regrets are trying to help you.

Which brings us to today’s topic.

Listening to your regrets. It’s a good idea!

Your regrets are niggling away at you, tugging at your sleeve, because they sense that unless you listen to them, you might easily make the same mistake again that caused the regret you are trying not to hear. 

But what if, for example, you over-ate last night. And you regret it. But you’re trying to ignore your regret, because it makes it makes you feel bad. 

Hello! Your regret is there to make you feel bad, so you won’t make the same mistake tonight! 

If you will listen, you can learn from your regrets, so you don’t keep making the same mistakes. 

Please listen to this short talk.

It’s about listening to your regrets. The talk is only about 17 minutes long. I think you’ll enjoy the tenor of the talk, and how it suggests helpful ways to listen and learn from your regrets.

The takeaway:

Listen to your regrets. They have something to teach you. (even when you’re tempted to run away from them or bury them deep).

Read more.

Sign up for more posts like this one! They will be delivered to your email or text as they become available.