I've noticed that I seem to dwell a lot on regrets. I think the feeling of regret is uniquely human and that it is our mind or body's way of telling us what we actually value. Because there is no ultimate meaning to my individual life, I might as well do what I find important, which means doing whatever will bring me the least regret. For me personally, and maybe this is true for other as well, inaction will lead to more regret than action. At least when I take action, I'll have learned and developed along the way - even if it was a bad choice ("I shouldn't have done that, but at least..."). While inaction will generally lead to that feeling of "What if..." (which can also happen when taking action, but I think less often.) [This Reddit user](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskWomen/comments/2zbix3/comment/cphkq4p/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) emphasizes this point: > "I'm 32, and I used to suffer from the same paralysis. I realized that I can't plan every second of my life - there are some things I don't have control over: most of them, really. I can only change my own attitudes and reactions. > > I've come to prefer to regret the things I've actually done, not the things I've not done because I was too afraid to do them, so when faced by large decisions, I'll generally analyze the possible outcomes and pick the one that seems to be the most fun or have the best outcomes. I don't allow myself to choose "no choice" anymore out of fear. This allowed me to make an intercontinental move, something which would have sent me into spirals of panic when I was younger." When we're afraid of failing, a helpful question we should ask ourselves is "Would I regret that failure?" If the answer is "no", then that is a [[Pursuing risk|risk that should be pursued]]. *** ## Footnotes Resources - [5 Principles for Making Better Life Decisions](https://markmanson.net/how-to-make-better-life-decisions)