I recently came across a passage that opened my eyes to the realization that I have been allowing agonizing thoughts to occupy valuable space in my mind. 4 Things you can’t get back: The stone after it’s thrown. The word after it’s said. The occasion after it’s missed. The time after it’s gone.” You see, I have had a hard time letting go of mistakes and regrets I’ve made over my life. So entering this new year, I want to let those missteps go.

About ten years ago, when I was younger and naive, I was promoted and was given a moderate pay raise. I eagerly jumped at the new opportunity and accepted the pay raise. I soon realized that I could have negotiated a more significant increase in pay. I stayed with the company another two years and eventually moved on to greener pastures. However, every time I drive past my old employer, I kick myself over, not knowing my worth at the time in my life.
And then there was the time I spent a year with a woman that I invested time and energy into only to come to the realization she was wasting my time. Every time I would cross paths with her, I would think about how that year with her, I could have spent doing something more productive with my life. I finally decided to change the way I think about and view my mistakes. When I ‘m driving past my former employer, I remember I am earning more and how much I enjoy my current job, and when I see that ex-girlfriend of mine, I think “that’s someone else’s problem now.” As we enter this new year and decade, I hope that we can take those misfortunes to learn from them, grow from them, and leave them in 2019.

Lastly, in regards to New Year’s resolutions, I ask, do we really need them? What’s the point of setting all these intentions and making all these promises to yourself and then spending the year worrying that you won’t accomplish it all? The alternative is simple: Do what makes you happy. Wake up every day to do something that brings joy to your life. Book that trip, treat yourself to something nice, experience something new for the first time, the choices are endless.

The New Year is upon us, and with it comes the promise of new beginnings.