The one thing almost everyone has in common at one time or another is regret. The feeling of disappointment over a missed opportunity or possibly something else. Regret is one of our core components of emotions and is not a flaw. We need this emotion for more than you realize. Thing is, it is how we take it or what we regret.

I started my own journey just a short while ago with this blog. Nothing to garner attention or whatnot. A place to write my story, my thoughts, my words. If you read back far enough, you will understand some of my regrets. They are very transparent and obvious. Yet I have only begun to address them and correct what I can.

Correct? Yes, some regrets can be addressed, and we can do many things to reconcile them. Whether that be apologies, self-improvement, hobbies, projects, or what I am about to partake in, a bachelor’s degree. Yes, in my mid 40s and I am going to be a freshman in school in the fall of 2023. It should take me right about 3 years with an increased load and summer courses, but I owe it to myself.

This degree will allow me to do something I should have done 27 years ago. Drugs, alcohol, and a horrible family life led me a different direction. Mental health issues can guide people in different directions, and it is all based on the support system around someone that will determine certain aspects of one’s journey.

Some of us do it alone.

Others have friends and family to lean on for guidance and support. There is even those that have to leave these people behind as they have restricted your progress. We are human and imperfect.

The most important part of all, is to realize the path you have taken thus far was not the wrong one. Some of us need to take the scenic route as we need more life lessons and experience to help build us into what we are today.

Thinking to me going to school as an example now. I will be engaged and disciplined to the curriculum and do my best. At 18 years of age, I was just as intelligent, but prone to giving in to my mental health issues with drug and alcohol abuse. I would have struggled in school and most likely dropped out to work to procure the materialistic life we are presented from birth.

So, what is it you regret? There are likely many things, although, what is it you can reconcile with yourself and your soul?

Look in the mirror. Don’t like what you see? You can either struggle to change it or learn to live with it. What is it you are wanting to see? Why? Write down how you came to the thought of who and what you are. Are some of these really regrets or disappointments?

Think back to regrets such as relationships. Write down what was good, what went wrong, and most importantly, be honest. Most times you will find it was not meant to be. I can think of a lot of those situations. My first marriage lasted nearly 12 years. Yet was not meant to be and I knew it only a few years in. Some of us are built to make things work and I to this day, respect my ex for trying as well.

You are in control of your regrets as it is an emotion you have instilled inside yourself regarding something. Is it worth letting that regret live rent free in your core (head) or is it worth pursuing to correct, is possible?

My biggest regret, my education. Most who encounter me and converse with me think I attended a college or university. Not that it matters, but there is a good amount of people like me. Why is it important at my stage in life? Because an education can open so many doors. Not just in your career, but in your mind. That is why I want to get an undergraduate degree, which, I may just do it for the long haul and go for a graduate degree and a doctorate. Who knows?

So, I ask again. What is it you regret? Is it something you can reconcile or something you need to work on with yourself on how to move forward?

dK

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