Victoria Holt once said, “Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.” Sadly, sometimes they are bad experiences.
I’ve been having that problem lately. After six years at a very secure job, I decided to take a chance, a risk, and try something new and more befitting of my skillset.
Believe me, it was not an easy choice. Should I do what was safe or take a chance in the hopes that I was entering a new phase of my life filled with opportunities?
Sadly, after several months, I realized I was deceived by this new opportunity and found myself unsure of what the future would hold for me.
I started to grow angry with myself for making such a poor decision – for leaving the comfort and security of my previous employer for something unknown. My self-worth began to suffer and I found myself sliding into a state of depression that I didn’t want to return to again.
But Holt’s words rang true for me. She reminded me that there really are NO mistakes in life, just bad experiences. And as long as we learn something valuable from those bad experiences, it will only enrich our lives as we continue to grow. While it might not seem like it right away, in time you will find a lesson learned.
Life is all about taking chances. Unfortunately none of us possess a window into the future, so on occasion we might stumble and look back with regret over the choices we’ve made.
But as Paul Tillich once said, “He who risks and fails can be forgiven. He who never risks and never fails is a failure in his whole being.”
