“NO REGRETS, BUT LESSONS LEARNED”
By Jane Dovidio-Gagliardo
As we go through life and continue this journey we are all on, I look back and I have “No Regrets, But Lessons Learned.” Until now, I’ve never really given this much thought. For me, when an obstacle is thrown in front of me, I just take it in stride, figure out how to get over it and keep on moving forward. But man have I learned a lot of lessons through it all. And, again, I have no regrets. Oh, do I wish I hadn’t said that thing that everyone else was thinking, not bought that outfit that cost way too much money or sent that email, that should have been put in the trash bin… oh yeah. But no matter how much I reflect, I have no regrets… nope, not at all.
My take on life and the lessons that come with it is… if we own our shit and take full responsibility for it, learning and living become a much easier task. I think it’s easier to not regret the things we do, but rather seek to learn so we can become more empowered as we continue traveling along the path of our respective journeys. And as we get older, we realize that the lessons we have learned add value to our life. The lessons I have encountered whether good, bad or indifferent have helped to mold me into the woman I am today. Now don’t get me wrong. Along the path of lessons learned, you will lose family, friends and protagonist that were only meant to be a part of our lives for a moment. They come with the lessons we need to become emotionally stronger and wiser. Some come with little or no long-lasting purpose other than to deliver the lesson(s) we need. And when we accept this and seek the understanding our lessons bring without projecting our own self-serving perceptions of their purpose, how we see life and the people in our lives, changes for the better.
Will we be talked about, ridiculed, and even judged while attempting to gain the understanding we need to learn our lessons? The answer is simple… yes, we will. But if you seek to learn from the lessons and gain value from them, your life will be tremendously enriched. When you seek to learn your lessons there will never be any need for you to have regrets and that’s a “lesson learned” fact. Another thing about not living with regrets is we become more compassionate and loving with ourselves and others. We readily accept that we are all human and prone to making mistakes and this is one of the most valuable lessons you will ever learn.
The truth is… we have lessons all around us that influence both our thoughts and behaviors. But how we perceive and respond to these lessons is up to us and determine the outcomes we experience. No-one makes us do anything; we choose to do the things we do. We can choose to learn and grow or live with regrets, remain stagnant and risk life becoming stale. If we choose to learn we become empowered, but if we choose to regret, we are constantly bombarded with the unwanted consequences of unlearned lessons. It’s true, life is hard; but the lessons we learn and the paths we choose to travel mold us and create who we become. I think who we become is based on the lessons we learn and who we choose to be. Ultimately, the legacy we leave behind, after we take our final breath, serves as an example for others to model themselves after… or not, once our journey on this planet we call Earth has ended. And oh what a beautiful legacy we possess the ability to leave when we model the love and compassion we and others seek, need, desire and deserve.
The message and lesson of this week’s blog is to focus on learning the lessons that are presented to you. Don’t fight against them but rather choose to learn from them. At the moment your lesson is delivered, you may not immediately understand what’s happening to you or why, but it will become your “No Regrets, But Lessons Learned“ opportunity.
I leave you with this quote; “The Struggle You’re In Today, Is The Lesson You Will Learn Tomorrow.” (Unknown)
Stay Safe. Stay Strong. Stay Fearless.
