I regret saying „No!” to some opportunities.
Similarly, I’ve said „Yes!” to other opportunities, another thing which I regret.
What’s the solution?
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” ― Søren Kierkegaard
It’s actually quite simple – can I change the past? No. Therefore, I must not regret things from it.
Can I learn from the past? Yes, I need to think about the past, to understand it. But without regrets, they won’t make me a better person.
Also, accept that I will make mistakes.
Each time I look at my past more than 5 years ago, I think something in the terms of „boy, was I silly 5+ years ago”. It makes sense, then, to think that 5+ years from now I’ll look at 2021 and say „boy, was I stupid in 2021”.
But this should not stop me from trying.
How does the spirit enter the world? (Cum pătrunde spiritul în lume? – Blog de Olivian Breda and «There’s nothing better than reading» – except, there is – Blog de Olivian Breda)
Yes, you can read things, but also by doing things, living, having conversations, engaging with others – that’s how the spirit enters the world. You can listen to a great song or to a less-than-great one.
One bad way of having the spirit enter the world, and myself? Just contemplating on the past, and doing nothing.
A, most likely, better way? Focusing on the future, acting, performing, doing things, yes, reading some things, watching movies, listening to music, contemplating arts – that’s how the spirit enters the world. Making mistakes is part of this, you can’t do anything without mistakes.
Sure, you need to focus on making as few as possible, sure, it will definitely hurt, but you need to make mistakes.
So, coming back to the theme of the title – The error of saying No, the error of saying Yes – the larger error is not saying Yes / No, the larger error is not saying anything and contemplating on the past.
You do need a strategy, thinking, planning, reviewing, analysis. But, most of all, you need action.
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. (Luke 14:31-32, NIV)
Thinking is necessary, you can’t just act. But action is also necessary, you can’t just think.
(the above sentence may look, at the same time, both smart and silly)
