No Regrets

Of late, I have noticed a particular phenomenon among all people including me. And this is not restricted only to today’s young generation but people of all ages seem to succumb to this.
 
"People seem to regret things, which they didn’t do rather than those they did".
 
What a profound thing to say. Did we ever think about this? Everyone has regrets in life. Show me someone who says "I don’t have any regrets in Life" and "I will show you a liar".
 
Yes, some people might have no "memory" of regrets as they believe in putting or leaving everything behind. "Living for today" as they say.  But I am sure, they too have regrets ? they just don’t admit or express them openly.
 
I have no hesitation in revealing that I have a fair share of regrets in my life ? that I didn’t study as many languages that could have opened many doors to the new cultures, new literature, opportunities and of course to new relationships.  After all as they say "A stranger is a friend" we never met.  I would never know what that beautiful French girl uttered at the movie hall at Lido when I was in Bangalore (I keep on guessing of her origin as well).
 
I regret for not revealing my love for the girl (who was boarding the bus from Moodbidri, as told by the Conductor), who used to travel to college in my bus and her pony tail would create thousands of tsunami waves in my heart.  We traveled in the same bus for almost three long years and I didn’t even give it a try.  I thought that she would rebuke me, hit me with her sandal or I would make a complete fool of myself while everyone would be watching.  But I never knew, because I never tried to find out.  I was a chicken and I regret it.  (Now, you don’t go and tell your neighbor’s wife that you love her or that cute and sexy chick standing with her macho boyfriend ? as I would not be responsible for the consequences).
 
I regret not studying hard and appearing for the IIM’s and IIT’s, regret not serving my parents and others with my best.  And like this, I have a never ending list of regrets I nurture in my heart and keep on wondering "What if ???" And I am sure you have your own list too.
 
And believe me, regrets are not such bad things either.  I wonder why we people associate a negative connotation to this very human sentiment.  A realization of regrets at any stage of life is the beginning of a better future. You realize that you messed it up completely, missed a golden chance, you were a bad guy, made a horrible miscalculation (the way the Indian Stock Markets are zooming back in India, I am sure every conservative guy will have regrets for failing to catch the bus) – What did I do?

…We cannot learn swimming without getting into the water and we cannot expect success without going for it.….

 
You regret and take a lesson and hopefully decide not to do such a thing in the future. See, regret is not such a bad thing, is it?  Regrets are the kink on the learning curve, a warning signal on your computer, a rap on your knuckles (like the way we used to get from Nelly Teacher), a blip on the radar, a correction in the Sensex (India’s most tracked stock market index) telling you "Wake Up." Regret is like a mother telling you that "You were not such a good boy, what you did was wrong and do not do this in the future."  Regret enables you to learn a lesson from the old mistakes, not to commit such a stupidity in the future and to cash in on the next big opportunity.
 
We cannot learn swimming without getting into the water and we cannot expect success without going for it. This holds good in your relationships and all walks of life as well. So if you have regrets use them as props for success. But yes, it is advisable to understand our own strengths and weaknesses before taking the plunge without being intimidated by them.
 
Any regrets for writing this Article?….NO REGRETS.

Author: Rupesh Lobo- India