I’m writing a psychology term paper for college and I was wondering what people really regret doing or not doing in their life. Was it a bad decision you made, an opportunity you missed, a person that you never gave a fair chance to or a risk you didn’t take? What you regret could be anything from your life that you consider to be very important to you, now that you have the time and experience to look back on the situation with more wisdom.
Unkissed kisses. That, and I’ve done some things which I knew were wrong, but went ahead anyway.
So, missed opportunities and poor decisions.
Regret is a waste of time. Looking back on my life, I have no regrets. I mean, I’ve made some incredibly stupid decisions, and have suffered some severe consequences.
However, I have a pretty good life today, and I wouldn’t necessarily be here without all of the preceding events. So, no regrets.
But then again, I’m not good at “what if…”, so maybe that has something to do with it.
The closest thing I have to a regret is: I wish I could have stayed with my last band. We were pretty good. But, I had to move to take my current job. I don’t regret that decision at all.
Yeah, I regret the two hours I spent watching “A Knight’s Tale”. I would have soon poked my eyes out with a sewing needle than to watch that tripe again.
Okay, seriously, I regret never finishing high school. Yes, I confess, I am a high school dropout. It does not mean that I am dumb; I am merely under-educated. I know if I had the chance to go back to school, I would do very well and would probably graduate with honors. Unfortunately, I have four children and a full-time job. I don’t see myself being able to find the time or the money to go back to school any time in the next five years or so. I am 31 years old now and frankly I would feel very foolish going back to high school at this point. I did obtain my General Equivalency Diploma, which means I could attend a community college and perhaps obtain an Associate’s Degree, but I would never be able to transfer to a “real” college, like Michigan State University.
Not gett neutered sooner… really!
I would have liked to have more kids. But, my being married to the demon from hell prevented that from happening. Such is life. Hey, Shadow, you can always go to a ‘real’ college. They have classes at community colleges that ‘real’ colleges will accept as credit. And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are a very intelligent person.
I regret not going to college right after high school. I went to a community college for awhile and I graduated from a technical college but I’d really like to go to K-State University and get a degree someday. With two small children i just can’t do it right now. 
That’s really the only “regret” I have. Everything else I’ve done, right, wrong, or just plain stupid, has been a learning experience and has made me the person I am today. I shudder to think what my life would’ve been like if I’d never met my ex-husband because I probably wouldn’t have my daughter today. Everything was give and take. I had some awful experiences but the joys from those experiences outweigh the hardships by far!
Two or three minor ones, but nothing earth-shaking.
Not taking Latin in high school. I wanted to be an astronomer, so I took physics. Had no head for it, whereas I was earning straight A’s in French. Didn’t pay attention to where my talents lie.
Not taking off for a week to go visit my buddy Andrei’s hometown in Russia when he was on vacation. I was more worried about the classes I had to take at St. Petersburg U.
Not taking that unpaid translation internship I heard about while I was at Georgetown. Yeah, it was unpaid and the commute on Metro would have been expensive, but it would have been some good career experience.
That’s about it.
Nooooooooooooooooawawawaaawaon… ruhruhruhien duh rieahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhnnnn… Nooooooooooooooooooooooooawwwwwwwww jeee ne rgretttttte reeAHN
my big regrets are things i should have done, opportunities missed. i dont really regret the stupid shit i have done (i didn’t get caught!) and i am real happy now, but i sometimes think about how things would be “different” had i not blown some chances earlier.
its hard to say, maybe the things un-done would have been horrendus failures!
life is good now, so i’m pretty happy!
(just thought of one! i really regret not putting in a new tape in the video camera for my son’s birth. i got about 40 min of labor, then poof! end of tape! GODDAMMIT! I am most sorry for my wife, cause she really will miss out. me, i’ll never forget seeing it happen…)
I have two. First that in the past I have let people walk all over me. I’m lucky, I’m a survivor and it happens no more. Secondly, I also wish I had had more kids, but being that I was married to Ultress’ ex’s twin, I only had one as well.
I was told by numerous trainers and coaches that with a little work I could have been a seriously competitive swimmer. I have a good stroke, great lung capacity, strong kick. But I got lazy and decided to stop going to practice and such.
Every time I see the olympics I get very melancholy. My life would have been so much better if I’d done what I was seemingly meant to do.
I should have been a swimmer. Then I’d KNOW what I was supposed to be doing with my life.
jar
Well, there was that Brazilian girl I met in Budapest . . .
I was told I had great potential as a ballerina, but like Jarbaby got lazy and stopped practicing. A girl I partnered in shows (we were both chosen to have extra lessons) became a top ballerina in South Africa, and when we saw her on t.v. my dad said “that could have been you” sigh. I love my life where I am now though so I suppose that makes up for it.
If you do well in Community College, you could then attend a “real” college. In fact, that’s one of the main purposes of Community Colleges - to give a sort of head start to non-traditional college students.
My main regret is that I didn’t learn to drive sooner than I did. I got my license at 33, but didn’t really use it till my son was born when I was 35. It’s an underlying cause of many other regrets that I have had, including living in yucky old Queens, NY for 10 years, not becoming a teacher and wasting lots of money on expensive food because the supermarket was too far.
I am soooo going to regret telling you guys that in the morning when I’m sober.
No real regrets–some “I wonders” though. My only regrets are the harms I might have done to others by word or deed or omission.
At the ripe old age of 24, my main regret is that while we were growing up I shut myself away from those 9-years-younger siblings I wanted so badly. It’s not an unrectifiable mistake, but living a state away isn’t conducive to improved relations. We get along fine, but it’s weird feeling you don’t really know your own brother or sister that you lived with for nine years.
Ask me again when I’m older and maybe I’ll have something better for you.
Carrying on a arguement with my Grandmother (it was a biggy). She died before I got to deal with it.
If you’ve got a beef with people you love, sort it out. There not around forever. A lesson I learned to late.
I regret not telling a person who shall remain nameless that if she married another person who shall remain nameless, her life would be absolute hell. As far as I know they are still together.
Not that she would have listened to me (his ex), but I can’t help wondering what if …