By: Oneeka Kohli and Meghana Vadranam
What are all the things you regret in life?
In my opinion, there shouldn't be any unless you're secretly a serial killer. Surprisingly there are a few people in my life that seem to believe otherwise. Their whole perspective of life is about doing things that will benefit their future. It's as if they've forgotten how to live in the present and let nature take its course. By no means am I telling you to live in a van down by the river, but that it is ok to have fun, to do things for the heck of it. If you spend your entire childhood studying and worrying about being successful, you are doing it all wrong. Some people get so caught up in this fallacy that they can enjoy once their prosperous, but the hard work never ends, if anything, it gets harder. Enjoy the free time you have while you have it.
A friend of mine is quite peculiar and goes against half the things I believe. Most look back at their child and reminisce all the good things but this person sits and thinks about all the dumb things he has done. He puts things in this category that shouldn't even be there. Imagine looking back at your childhood and being like I wish I studied more instead of watching tv, playing video games, reading for fun. All these things that are the good parts of your life. Imagine regretting your entire life because your stuck in this thought process where you think that you will amount to nothing if you haven't reached a certain amount of success that society has defined.
The issue is that one has to find balance. They should work hard but also have fun just as equally. We live in a society where everyone is stuck in this rat race. A race where half the people didn't even want to be in. The way life works now is trying so hard to indoctrinate you to think only about education and your future. All this pressure doesn't only come from society, but also your parents and I know that sometimes there is no option to satisfy their expectations. You just have to know when to stand up for yourself. Seize all the opportunities the universe has given and will give you, it's the only way to live up to your fullest potential.
Regret. It's a crazy thing. One of the most inspiring quotes I've heard is "trust the process". You have to have faith that if you work hard, you can reach some sort of success. If you sit around regretting how you should've done things instead of thinking how you should do things, your wasting time. Things happen for a reason. They teach you vital life lessons and help you grow as a person.
I suggest you look back at your actions and analyze your behaviors. Is there truly a reason for any of the things you regret? Things that are in the past should stay in the past don't dwell upon things you can't change. If there is truly something that you wish you could've done better, implement it now. Don't Regret.