Hello again! It’s been a while since I’ve written. Sorry for that, but I got to working on some other projects. I love to write, but it’s always way more time-consuming than I think it should be; therefore, my side projects often get kicked aside for a few days (or a week. Or two.) while I tackle something that has a deadline or try to get some work that pays.
Anyhow, I’m back again to tackle the July issue–and hopefully finish it before the August one shows up in my mailbox.
Martha Beck is a regular O contributor–I think she may have written something for every issue, but I’m not exactly sure. I haven’t talked about her articles much because they haven’t always applied to me. This month she’s got a great article about regret and how to deal with it.
We all have regrets, but Beck says you can stop being paralyzed by regret and take some action to not make it such a negative feeling. Although you may not think this is true, you can change the regrets of your past. Beck says, “The past doesn’t exist except as a memory, a mental story, and though past events aren’t changeable, your stories about them are. You can act now to transform the way you tell the story of your past, ultimately making it a stalwart protector of your future.”
Wow! I never thought of it like that! Beck details six steps to help you change your way of thinking about regret. One comes with an interesting story about a potential Olympian who had a horrible meet that ruined her chances of competing. Beck asked what she would’ve gotten out of being in the Olympics, and the girl gave a few words. These adjectives helped her realize what kind of job she was looking for, and she learned to channel that regret into a new passion. Her Olympic dream didn’t matter anymore.
I like articles that help me see my feelings in a new light. It’s articles like these that keep me subscribing.
