The Art of Moving On: Embracing Change and Letting Go of Regret

Hey girlfriend, I’m so excited to kick off the New Year with a fresh perspective. This one’s all about leaving behind the old and welcoming the new—specifically, saying goodbye to regret and making room for the growth that comes with letting go.

What Are Regrets?

Regret is one of those uncomfortable feelings we all experience at some point. It’s an inner conflict that throws us into a stalemate with ourselves. It's like a personal purgatory that keeps us from fully embracing the present moment—even though that painful past moment is long gone. Instead, we get stuck replaying it over and over again in our heads.

Why Do We Have Regrets?

Here’s the thing: regret is an illusion. It’s that ongoing conversation in your mind between who you actually are and who you think you should’ve been. Regret rarely comes from the situation itself; it stems from how we think it should have gone according to our expectations.

Sometimes we create an ideal version of the future in our minds, and when things don’t go according to plan, we get embarrassed or ashamed. But what if we wore the fact that we even tried as a badge of honor instead of beating ourselves up over it? We judge ourselves, and even worse, we judge ourselves from the perspective of others. We treat our mistakes like they're character flaws when they’re just part of being human. It’s time to let ourselves off the hook.

Why Do We Deserve to Release Regret?

There’s no need to keep beating yourself up over what you’ve been through. You survived it, right? Life isn’t always about being comfortable; it’s about growing. And growth happens when we step outside our comfort zones—where mistakes are more likely to happen. See how it’s all connected? Your regret isn’t a sign that life went off-track. Nothing has gone wrong. There’s no need to mentally disassociate from it or treat it like a detour. That was the journey.

How to Release Regret

Releasing regret starts with coming back to the present moment. To move past the past, we need to accept it. As humans, we’re blessed with a beautiful intellect that lets us think about the past, present, and future. But if we don’t ground ourselves in the present, it can become a detriment.

The truth is, the situation is long over. It’s gone. And it’s not coming back. So why keep punishing yourself for something that’s already in the past? Let it go. Life has moved on—and so should we.

Remember, everyone faces tough times. Hardships aren’t just for building our character; they also help us connect with others who’ve walked similar paths. Sometimes, our experiences will even help guide someone else through their own journey.

We’re human, not robots. Since the beginning of time, there’s been a countless number of decisions and events, both good and bad, that led to the creation of you exactly as you are. The butterfly effect—the undoing of any one of these experiences, no matter how small, would change everything. So instead of trying to change the past, embrace it.

A Buddhist teacher once asked his students: Do you know how angels fly?

By letting go of everything that weighs them down.