Nov 2, 2021
“Do you regret going to law school?” I get this all the time.
Why would I waste a single second regretting something I can’t change?
No matter how much I replay it, beat myself up, blame other people, think about how much better my life would be if I didn’t go...
It won’t change the fact that I went to law school.
So instead of wasting my time on something I can’t change, I focus on what I want to do with my life from here on out.
That doesn’t mean that I can’t learn from my past decisions.
I look back and evaluate why I choose to go:
➤ where was I abandoning myself for other people’s approval?
➤ where was I seeking validation instead of listening to my gut?
➤ where was I simply doing what I was told instead of questioning it?
I do all of that so that I can make better decisions in the future.
But that doesn’t mean I ever spend the time regretting my decision.
Because it is done.
And I had my reasons (even if I wouldn’t choose those reasons now).
And I can have self-compassion for the old me who didn’t know any better.
And I gain nothing by torturing myself with regret.
Because regret comes from a thought.
The thought: “If I hadn’t made that decision, my life would be so much better.”
And that’s a lie.
I have no idea how my life would have turned out.
So I choose not to think that thought.
And you can choose the same thing.
Because regret is a choice.