No Regrets. That’s a term that is thrown around a lot to justify someone’s actions. Whether they be positive or negative. But what does it really mean to live without any regrets? Too many times people are paralyzed by the fear of making the wrong decisions when in reality if you just follow a simple process things will always turn out fine. It is just a matter of how much stress and worry you will have to go through in the process, and how happy you will be with the decisions you made.

Living with No Regrets vs. Decisions without thought

You know, like in the movies when the super cool guy is about to do something… well, super cool and turns around and says “No Regrets” and jumps off of a cliff. Well maybe not that extreme, but there does always seem to be some confusion around the subject. Are living without regrets and making decisions without thinking about them synonymous?

The truth is that in relation that they are opposite of each other. Acting without thinking breeds decisions that many later regret. There will always be consequences to something that you do, good and bad. The skill learned is calculating the risk prior to making a decision and knowing what effects will set in after.

“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all” -Helen Keller

Your “Brain Calculator”

This the way you calculate risks. It’s a built in function that all of us come with. The difference between the people that are the best at what they do is that they have trained they’re “calculator” and have the ability to assess situations and take the right risks. A mistake that many people make is to always make the safe decision. In reality, this leads to a less happy life, where as on the other end people who take more risks lead happier and more satisfied lives.- Science Daily

“Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

How to not be Reckless

So we know that taking more risks can lead us to being happier with our lives, but how do we do it without being reckless? There are always a few questions that you can ask yourself that will put your mind at ease based off of whatever decision you make. The key here is simplicity. Often times, we end up over thinking things and getting stuck in fear. Keep it to a short list of things that you ask yourself, and you’ll be able to put things into perspective much more comfortably. Ask yourself some questions like:

1. Will this hurt me in the long run?

2. Is it something that I will have wanted to do later in my life?

3. What’s the possibility (and severity) that I will hurt either myself or the people that I care about?

4. Will I be able to handle the financial risk?

If you can answer a few simple questions like this, you will be able to make much more informed decisions in your life, career, relationships and just about everywhere.

“A ship is always safe at the shore – but that is NOT what it is built for.” -Albert Einstein

Also see How to be 100% Fearless in dealing with people

Stepping out of your Comfort Zone!

Stepping out of your comfort zone and doing or learning new things can be some of the most rewarding experiences that we can have in our whole lives. Ask yourself this, have you ever met anyone that pushed themselves to learn something new and regretted it later? No way!

Keep an eye out for the follow up post to this about “Stepping out of your comfort zone.” You’re on your way to becoming a better person already! Keep it up

Cover Photo: Jennifer Boyer