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Why Growth Leads to Regret
Some people say they aspire to live life with no regrets. Yet it is impossible to grow and develop in your life and career and not have some regrets.
When you develop as a leader, you might regret that you did not have the maturity and courage to lead earlier in your life. If you have recently done meaningful work, you might regret that you did not take advantage of such opportunities when you were younger. Today you realize what is really important in life, and may regret that you spent so much time in the past pursuing things that have no lasting value.
In all of these examples, our regret is a function of our personal development. We make progress, we gain perspective, and with our new perspective, we also gain some regrets.
Performance Principle: Regret is a natural part of development. It can be a positive sign of growth rather than a negative indicator of failure. Accept this and stop beating yourself up over things you did not or could not do in the past.
Questions to Consider:
- Where do you have regrets in your life and your career?
- To what degree are your regrets about things you wish you had done sooner or better or more quickly?
- Do you need to cut yourself some slack and realize that it was your hard work in the past that allows you to achieve at a high level today?
