By Claralynn Schnell of Contemporary VA
Do you live your life regretting each choice or decision or do you live your life in a way that honors those decisions? I used to live my life regretting things, the things I said, the way I was, who I was in general. However, as I grew and as I became an adult I started to fully grasp the idea that my decisions, my “regrets” were in fact shaping me into the person that I was. A person that I was very happy with. Please don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I am a fabulous person, I just believe that each instance that I could choose to regret, I instead choose to embrace and learn from.
Recently I went through a divorce, a surprise divorce. I sat for days wondering what I did wrong, where I should have changed and things I should have done differently, however, I quickly realized this was not my regret to have. Was I perfect? NO! Did I deserve a chance to change and save my family?? YES. However, as I worked hard on myself in counseling and surrounded by family, I soon realized that when someone chooses to walk out without even considering the other person, it is their regret to live with. So again, I took a very difficult situation and learned from every instance that I could have had a regret.
As you grow and change, regrets can overwhelm you or they can mold you. It is how you choose to look at all decisions in your life. To this day, I look at areas that could be “regrets” and I am so happy to have made those decisions. I could regret my marriage, I don’t. I learned what I don’t want in a relationship and the type of man that I don’t want to be married to. But I was given more gifts from that marriage than any other experience in my life, I was blessed to have my sons, Logan and Kolten. So you see, I can’t regret something that gave me life that gave me purpose and gave me so much more than I could ever dream. While the divorce left me with hurt and pain, regret is not an emotion that I ever entertained.
I choose to live a life without regret.
If you are struggling with regret and unable to see a way to embrace your faults, please contact Paul, he will help you!