What If…

What if I had said “I love you” back, and just accepted his conditions?

What if I had worked slower, and produced a more average result that didn’t threaten my boss?

What if I had been able to move to a different location after my divorce, or I had pulled my tiny nest egg out of that investment fund when I wanted to, or I had said no to driving to the library the day of the accident?

What if, what if, what if?

Do you second guess all your major decisions, and hundreds of tiny ones? What if you didn’t?

Hindsight is 20/20… and then some

We all know the expression that hindsight is 20/20, that when looking at the past, we see more clearly than when looking at the present or the future. Once a deed is done, and the dust has settled, of course we see with clarity.

But when it comes to personal lessons, we view what is past with greater than normal vision (20/20) – we are hyper-aware of the unanticipated results, and often, critical of ourselves for what we couldn’t have known.

It is only with time that we can truly assess our losses and their impacts. And if we beat ourselves up over what we cannot change? That accomplishes nothing, except exacerbating a perception of the world that fills us with bitterness.

Living in regret

I’ve spent months, sometimes years, living in regret. What I did. What I didn’t do. What I should have or could have somehow managed to do differently… all of the previous self-flagellation assuming foresight that was impossible. Worse – not only was I punishing myself over actions and decisions that were within my control, I was frequently blaming myself for those that were not. For example… the road someone else took that left my own in a shambles.

Now, we know that living in regret may be part of the grieving process when we lose a loved one, when we lose an illusion that we depended on, or when we lose a piece of the self that is beyond regaining. But dwelling in that place of regret or habitually blaming ourselves for whatever goes wrong in life is not an answer.

Living in regret erodes belief in yourself, and worse.

Anger and doubt, particularly turned inward, will eat you alive emotionally and physically. Eventually, won’t living in regret lead to dying in regret?

The story of my life. Yours, too?

We all make bad choices. We also make terrific choices, but we don’t necessarily pat ourselves on the back for those. We don’t stop to analyze them or celebrate them; we keep going, accepting their happy, healthy, or measured results.

We’re busy, we’re looking forward, and since we aren’t basking in regret (or self-flagellation), these moments go unheralded.

Life happens. Hardship hits us all. Often, we’re left dealing with events at least partially beyond our control: accidents and injuries; painful endings to relationships; disappointments in those we count on; problems with health, work, money. When we say, ruefully,  “it’s the story of my life,” isn’t it really the story of anyone’s life?

A bit of “if only” or “what if” is natural as we pull ourselves back – or perhaps more accurately, forward – to a new normalcy. It may be a time-consuming process following a life-altering event. But living inside an impression that the story of your life is about your bad choices makes no sense. Constantly blaming yourself for troubles, large and small, is as skewed as blaming others in entirety.

What if…

What if we put self-doubt and recriminations away, letting go of a habit that isn’t helpful? What better time than at the start of a new year – and a new decade?

• There are mistakes in judgment; we need to learn our lessons from those choices.
• There is the upside: the what if that concerns imagining a future – and that’s another matter altogether.
• What if you looked back enough to cull wisdom from experience?
• What if you looked forward to small, positive changes and to new goals?

What if we celebrated our choices that are turning out well? Perhaps there’s a great woman you’re taking the time to know, though she doesn’t fit your “type.” Or the baby is sleeping through the night now that he’s on formula. Maybe your teenager is taking on more responsibility because you’ve given it to him, or your aging parent is doing a better job of listening to your advice (in his or her own interest), or you’ve finally completed the master’s degree despite the fact your family thought you couldn’t do it.

What if…

What if we congratulated ourselves for getting through trying days during painful transitions? For the very fact of daring a leap of faith – no matter how it turns out? For persisting in fighting our way back from injury, depression, financial disarray, or personal loss?

Sometimes, making it through the day is a triumph. What if we acknowledged that, and started the new year in the light of all we are and all we accomplish that is good, rather than past events we cannot change?

Am I actually talking to myself – hoping to absorb important lessons?

What if I am?

 

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• Against the Traditional Notion of Change

• Through the Peep-Hole

• Leap of Faith

• Stop. Saying Sorry.