For some of us comes easy and almost natural to live a life without regrets. But for others, making a choice we won’t regret, may be difficult – especially when there’s a lot at stake.
Making decisions is not easy. Mainly because we’re always looking for a brighter outcome due to our desire to win. For that reason, it’s even harder to make a decision when “winning” is not guaranteed.
We are constantly making decisions every day. We choose to skip our class, to buy unnecessary items or to save, to settle for a convenient job, or to follow our dream. Some choices don’t even feel like choices, some have low risks and some may change our life path.
Therefore, how do we know whether we made the right choice? How do you ensure you won’t regret you made that choice later in life? Perhaps one of the worst feelings is spending a part of your life wondering how your life would be if only you took that opportunity.
Living a life with no regrets might not be easy, but it’s definitely not impossible. For that reason, in today’s post, we’re presenting you, the steps required to make sure you did all you could do to live a life without regrets. Here’s our top guide on how to live a life with no regrets!
1. Don’t Rush – Take Your Time
Perhaps, one of the most important elements in the process of making a choice is time – more precisely, to not rush but take your time with the process. Most of the time, rushed decisions turn out to be the poor ones.
Rushed decisions are quickly made because of our impulses or because of external pressure. We often confound our impulses with our instincts. When we act out of impulse, we act on desire, which doesn’t mean something we need or really useful. Time can put massive pressure on our shoulders. Even if it’s a sale at the mall or someone wants to know now when to book the plane tickets. It can be challenging to make a choice if you’re not sure.
For this reason, you should always take as much time as you need to make a decision – to make sure it’s the right one.
2. Stay Calm
While you’re taking your time to make your choice, it’s essential to be calm. Making decisions when you are not stable emotionally when you are stressed, and especially when you are angry, are often decisions people regret.
Our mind isn’t able to think clearly when our emotions put a hold over our body – our rationality is disturbed because of emotional interferences. Therefore, do whatever you need to get in a calm state, where you can be alone with your thoughts. Meditation can be of great use to make sure you’re in a proper mood to make a decision.
3. Define Your Values
We all have our set of values – we gain it through experiences, and many of them are formed from the family and culture we were born and raised in. We usually came to live by so many values that are no longer required to have them always present in our conscious mind.
Therefore, when you make a decision, it is essential to know your values. Suppose you value more, making another person happy more than making yourself happy, than the choice will be easy to make. Take your time and reflect on your values that are in accordance with the choice you have to make, and stay true to yourself.
4. Analyze the Situation and Your Options
Sometimes, it might not be the best moment in time to make a certain choice. For instance, when the world is in a pandemic, it might not be the best time to decide to change your job.
Take your time and analyze your current situation so that you can have a complete picture of your life. Next, you must analyze your options – how your life will be affected by each option. You can even thing when and how it would be best to implement the best option. Knowledge about the impact of your choices is crucial.
5. What’s at Stake? Make a Pro & Con List
To make things even easy and clear for yourself, a pro and con list would be more than helpful. When we talk about major decisions, I believe that such a list can make all the difference.
You see, some choices in life come with many risks. Even taking a credit card from the bank can be a significant decision. Are you ready to risk your safety, comfort, and even your financial freedom for an expensive car? Or it would be wiser to take a more budget-friendly car and compromise that you will no longer impress your friends.
6. Ask for Counseling
Most of the time, I won’t advise anyone to ask for counselling to make a decision as if they let another person make their decision they most likely regret it. But, advice can make all the differences in many cases.
I’m talking about the cases when you’re not an expert in the domain you want to make a choice. For instance, you can seek counselling from experts when you don’t know what tree to plant in your yard or how to design your kitchen.
When you have a health issue, you can ask people you trust to recommend a doctor for you. Asking for counselling can be very good, but you must know when to ask for it and who you’re asking.
7. Make the Choice
Now that you are in a good mood, you did all your research, and you know all the consequences of your options, you must be ready to make a wise choice. Consult your values and all the information you gathered on your pro and con list. Consult your instincts too, and make a decision.
After you went through all the steps mentioned above, you must know what the right choice is for you. You have to be brave enough to follow it.
8. Assume Responsibility for Your Choice
Now that you know your choice, you must be aware that it is your choice and, therefore, your responsibility. Sometimes, things don’t go as planned, and our choices might seem poor ones at the beginning and turn out to be good ones after all.
Therefore, to not regret your choices, you must assume the responsibility that you put a lot of thought and work to make the better decision, and for this reason, no matter what happens you don’t regret you made it – you assume it, and you stand by it no matter what.
9. Be Confident in Your Choice
Confidence is another important element in the process of making a decision. It would be best if you were confident in yourself, your thinking, and the work you put into making a good decision. If you’re confident in making a choice, you will have no regrets.
Confidence means to trust you made the right decision genuinely, and when you know you did something good for you, you will have no regrets later on. Confidence can be earned through knowledge, which you will have once you follow the steps mentioned above.
Conclusion
Choices are a big part of our life. With every choice, we make our life might take a different turn, continue the same way, or deviate from your path for a longer or shorter while.
I guess that a useful trick to make sure you won’t regret making a decision would be asking yourself these two questions: “are the risks worthy?” and “if I don’t make this choice, am I going to wonder what if I was brave enough?”
Sometimes it is bravery we need to make a choice. If you live in fear of doing things out of your comfort zone, you’re more likely to live a life with regrets and frustration.
Be brave, try new things, risk a bit every day, and even try to listen to your gut now and then. The need for safety is important, but so is the need to grow. Life is meant to be lived freely and with no regrets, so be brave and make the best of your life.
