I agree with Daniel Pink that regret can be a good thing.
(If you’re interested in the topic at large, get your hands on Dan’s book.)
The issue is that it can be. There’s no default setting. It requires the hardest action of us to get positive value out of it; it requires us to decide to.
We can use regret of inaction to be what drives us to take action in the future.
We can use regret of action to apologize and make things right now.
The hardship arises from the fact that we can use either of those regrets (of action or inaction) to degrade our self-worth instead of using it to change our behavior (now and/or later).
There’s no science that indicates that’s the default setting. Thus, it’s an active choice we can make to learn and grow or to have it take us on a downward spiral.
Stay Positive & Sort Of Obvious Which To Choose Then, Right?
Photo credit
- A Simple Thank You - October 14, 2024
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