Licking the Razor's Edge (2015)

Regret -- A Way OUT
“To know inner peace means to let go of all self-criticism.” ~ inspired by Sanaya Roman
“Calamity is born in shame and anticipation; therefore a person is wise who focuses on
the present moment alone — regardless of her regrets from the past, and regardless of
his worries for the future.” ~ inspired by Oliver Goldsmith
“Forget regret, or life is yours to miss. No other path, no other way, no day but today.”
~ Jonathan Larson
We might as well face it: most of us are going to have regular skirmishes with the enemy
known as “regret”. After all, analyzing our decisions – and emotionally attaching some
sort of remorse to those we deem to have been “mistakes” – is simply a part of our
fundamental human psychology. It is one of the ways we guide ourselves through life …
It is one of the ways we learn.
And yet it does not have to be one of the ways we suffer.
Like anything else in life, it is we and we alone who decide whether we will wallow in
times of difficulty, or whether we will use those challenges to transcend our pain. And
this is true for our times of regret as well.
It is refreshing news indeed to realize that we are not required to suffer the sadness of
nostalgia or the frustrations of regret. We are always able to choose a different path – one
that pauses for a fraction of a second, recognizes that regret has resurfaced, and then uses
that regret as a tool to encourage us to take a fresh look in those moments; to examine
ourselves and our lives anew.
For if we have indeed slipped into regret, we can understand there must be something in
our current surroundings that triggered such a slip – something from our present
environment that resembles a painful decision from our past; a decision that caused us
(and probably others) great pain; a potential pattern that we can choose to identify and
avoid this time around.
It is with this approach that regret no longer becomes a shackling addiction, but becomes
a non-judgmental guide instead. It is at this point that the soupy-haze of negative regret
transforms itself into the crystal-clarity of neutral discernment.
And yet how can this transition come about? How can we smoothly flow from the
scathing delusion of self-judgment into the mellow wisdom of understanding?
Consider the following practical tips that can help you get started:
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