Some expressions have become so popular they are accepted without fully understanding it. In fact, social media can make any expression go viral around the globe in a matter of minutes. One of those popular expressions is “I have no regrets in my life,” or “I live my life without regrets."
I must say that my mind sometimes captures expressions and/or events for no particular reason. This time “I have no regrets in my life” caught my attention. I am almost positive that this particular expression came out incomplete from some personal coaching book or lecture.
The reason that I said that it came out incomplete or out of context is very simple and here is my argument:
We all make mistakes - there is no question about that. Furthermore some of those mistakes have had consequences in our lives. In fact, some of those consequences have been devastating and painful for us and our surroundings. Sometimes the price to pay for those mistakes include losing valuable components of our lives like a job, a friend, a marriage, relationship with family members, health problems etc.
So I can’t understand how you can’t have any regrets in your life. Well, I do have regrets! Those regrets are not to dwell on but to be able to improve as a human being.
Now, here is what is important: Having a regret means that you actually care about doing things right but once you have learned your lesson, you shouldn’t keep the burden or feel guilty for the rest of your life. In other words, it is healthy for our spiritual and mental health to say “ If I have to face this situation again I would do it differently."
This particular expression means you've learned your lesson and are ready to live your life differently in peace with yourself, your surroundings, but most importantly “Peace with God.”