In this episode, I focus on two types of regrets: the action regret and the inaction regret. Action regrets are easier to identify. They are the regrets we can typically call-out after a moment of reflection. For example, instantly regretting saying something you shouldn’t have to a loved one or eating that piece of cake (*or three*) knowing you were working on summertime fine. Those regrets are quantifiable because we know what the impact is.

However, inaction regrets are those that haunt us. They are the regrets of not doing something we wish we had. This can be as simple as not applying to a new job because we were afraid of leaving a comfortable position or more complex like not pursuing a dream opportunity because we didn’t have all the details completely figured out. These are typically the regrets that force us to look back and ask “What if… What if I pursued my dream of being a doctor, going to law school, opening that cafe, writing that book, or (fill in the blank)?”

Lewis Carroll, author of “Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland” and its sequel “Through the Looking-Glass” wrote “In the end… we only regret the chances we didn’t take, and the decisions we waited too long to make”. And more famously, Mark Twain has a quote that reads “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 harbor. Catch the trade wings in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Influenced by Mark Batterson’s book titled “In a Pit With a Lion on A Snowy Day”, I recall my inaction regret. In this episode I dive deeper into a business idea my partner and I pursued. Though this idea was growing support, we ended it pre-maturely. Years later, I still regret not seeing it through.