I’m leaving tomorrow. Thank goodness—I need a break from being home. Too much stagnancy makes me anxious. This town is too small. I’m not moving yet, just visiting some old friends. I’ll be staying in the apartment I would have been living in if I hadn’t decided to leave. It’ll be hard not to wonder what this year could have been like, what friendships would have faded or strengthened, what experiences I’ve missed out on.
Challenge #13, January 13, 2011: Stop yourself from wondering how things may have turned out. If you find yourself thinking ‘what-if,’ then stop. You made each decision in your life for a reason; there is no need to look back.
I haven’t decided if I’ll be posting on here while I’m gone. It’ll just be a few days, but I’ll decide later. I may not bring my computer with me—a break from the world wide web would probably be good.
A Daily Challenge 
Hi! I just stumbled on your blog and I love it 🙂
Enjoy your time away–sometimes that is exactly what we need to be refreshed. The internet isn’t going anywhere and we will be here when you return!
Here is a quote I came across today. 🙂
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover
Mark Twain
I love that quote!
That’s an amazing challenge we spend way to much time thinking about what could have been and not what will be! We should all learn to live without regrets….
i’ve read through a couple of your challenges, and they are fantastic. i’m impressed with the depth and thought in them, given your age. you are wise beyond your years, my friend. keep it up!
Thank you, that means a lot!
“You made each decision in your life for a reason” – love it.
ps. you should add an “email subscription” tool to your blog, so we can get them in our email. 🙂
I didn’t even know that was an option. How do I do that??
You add it from your Dashboard – Appearance – Widgets – Blog Subscriptions.
That should do it for you. 🙂
Just as a tip: you can schedule a bunch of posts ahead of time on WordPress. You can take time off, and still post a challenge a day.
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/use-time-travel-to-post-in-the-future/
Well, you dragged me in with this one. I actually gave myself this speech when I was in my teens. No fooling.
I told myself that I would have to live with the outcome any decisions I made and that I had the opportunity at the moment of making a decision, to review it and ask myself if that was what I really wanted to do, and that if the consequences of my decision turned out badly, that that’s the choice I made at the time with all of the information I had available.
I told myself, that I could never look back with regret, because I know that if I had it to all over again I would have done the same thing all over again.
Following this rule has actually imposed a degree of discipline on my life. I know, you never would have guessed. It especially helps in controlling emotional situations, because these are the situations that have the potential to cause the most regret in your life.
I’m not saying that it’s an easy thing to do always. I am saying that this practice helps you to look ahead and think about what you want to be able to look back on.
If the answer turns out to be that you are so emotionally impacted that you don’t even care about the outcome , then that’s the answer is and that’s life.
You’re only in control of it until you find out that you’re not.
And I know exactly what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “and he criticized ME for going on and on.
Sy, I am sorry that I am just not replying to this. I was unaware that you had that many ‘serious’ sentences in you! Good job 🙂 But really, you are so right in everything you said. To be able to look back and recognize that you would make all the same decisions is such an important thing to do. I have never thought about it in regards to discipline but I do agree. First in the way you said, but also in the sense that if you are determined to not wish you had made a different decision, you may make decision based on what you really, truly want to do.
Thanks, I’m going to do that! 🙂
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Joined in on this challenge!
Enjoy your time out and do try to schedule some posts ahead… 🙂
Elizabeth
Some Nice Place to See,,,Southern Utah ,USA
pridehomesinc.com
I am definately going to folow this blog, it will be interesting I am sure!
Thanks!
I love this blog! 🙂 Will it be okay for me to post a link on my blog to this one? I always like to ask permission first, just in case.
Of course you can post a link! 🙂
Great post! This use to be a big struggle for me until I realized it did me no good. Now I can appreciate each decision I’ve made in my life and feel happy with every outcome.
You are right, it really does no good. I am glad that you are able to be content with the decisions you have made–regret and wonder are a bad mix.
As an older woman, I realize now that it’s all about choices. The good, the bad, the ugly. They are what they are. And, I can finally embrace every single one of them because they made me who I am today and who I’m going to be tomorrow! Great stuff!