BESTSELF™ ICEBREAKER | Life Lessons 25

DESCRIBE A TIME WHEN YOU BELIEVED GIVING UP WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO, BUT REGRETTED IT IN HINDSIGHT. 

I have spent most of my life moving on from situations that no longer resonate or serve me in whatever capacity required.

I was raised by a woman who got unreasonably nasty when I quit things: guitar, piano, tennis, voice/opera/choir, horseback riding. I decided that if I was not to become a world class whatever it was it was fine to move on. There were others in the world who would receive the support required to do those things.

There are so many more things that brought me joy that I didn’t give up: reading, writing, photography, singing, and swimming all continue to bring me joy.

I have few regrets.

I suppose the only thing I regret are the many unfinished manuscripts and half-told stories that are sitting on my hard-drive or in the bottom drawer in my office. The only thing I ever wanted to be was a writer. I used to tell the boys (yep, all boys), I babysat fabulous stories of heroism and fantasy that would continue each time I went to care for them as one epic tale. I wish I had written them down and sometimes, before I go to sleep, I ask to be able to see them in my dreams - and sometimes I do. Sadly, they disappear into the ether upon waking. From high school, I had applied to go to a local college for the top journalism course in the country. For a myriad of reasons that was not an acceptable option ,so I was unceremoniously shipped off to a more appropriate school with a top-tier Liberal Arts reputation, to get my English degree. That was a colossal failure!

The mid-80s, that was a messy time. In hindsight I should have gone to that local college, earned my degree, and taken myself off to New York City to work at Vanity Fair magazine, as was my dream. At the very least, I never should have given up writing. I didn’t pick up a pen or keyboard until well after my children were born.

And now here I am, 59, still studying the art of writing for the better part of the last decade or more.

I do not want to live a life without regret as it is a great motivator! Regrets, to me, are points in your life that show you how far you’ve come and give you an opportunity to address the changes you want to make. You have a choice, fix the regret or let it teach you. Regardless, you’re growing because of it.