Licking the Razor's Edge (2015)

The CONSEQUENCES of REGRET
When left unchecked, regret leads not only to the well-known mental dysfunctions of
depression & anxiety, but it also manifests itself physically in hormonal imbalances and a
weakened immune system. In addition, regret becomes an emotional infection that sinks
us into the gloom of self-reproach, and that thereby tears us away from the glories of
being alive. In a sense, then, to live in regret is to die long before our physical death …
Consider the following harms brought on by this addiction:
*REGRET CLOUDS life’s BEAUTY …
We are literally surrounded by Beauty in every moment of our lives, and yet we cannot
experience the Beauty-full in our present if we are choosing instead to smear ourselves in
the self-blames of our past.
*REGRET STIFLES our CREATIVITY …
We are born into bodies that can create – we can move mountains of fear aside when we
choose to serve or communities, we can create great works of inspiration when we have
the courage to express ourselves boldly, and we can make Love our active answer
whenever confronted with those in need. And yet none of these alternatives can come to
pass while we are soaking in the misery of regret. Condemning ourselves for mistakes
already made is an inherently passive affair – holding us down; preventing us from
getting up and being actively productive with the time we still have left. Looking back to
learn from past errors can be a useful guide, and yet that guidance becomes useless unless
we let it go and get on with conspiring to add to the wonderment in our Here&Now.
*REGRET SUFFOCATES our LOVE …
Our greatest Happiness in life comes not from attaining material abundance or financial
success or emotional comfort. No, our greatest Joy comes from the complete
Contentment we feel in those moments when we have the courage to reach out to care for
others in need … something that is impossible to do in the present while we are soaking
instead in regrets from the past.
“Never look back unless you are
planning to go that way.”
~ Henry David Thoreau
“We all make mistakes, have
struggles, and even regret things in
our past. But you are not your
mistakes, you are not your struggles.
Indeed, you are right here, right now
– living in this perfect moment, with
the complete power to shape your day
and mold your future.” ~ inspired by
Steve Maraboli
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