Anyone who lives on this Earth will eventually have moments of regrets. Embarrassing memories that make us regret our decisions at the moment. And to top it off, these memories wait until the room is silent before creeping into our thoughts. They prey on our emotions as we torment ourselves for the decisions made. “How could we be so stupid?” Regret is a powerful demon whispering judgemental thoughts. Slowly, we sink into a depressive state.

How do we overcome this monster? How do we stand up against ourselves? Acceptance is the key. We are taught to accept others for who they are. We should allow ourselves for who we are. We would never chastise others when they are down. (Well, most of us wouldn’t 🙂 ) Why would we treat others better than we treat ourselves? We deserve kindness too.

The past has passed. Get over it. The only thing we have is the current moment. Dwelling and beating ourselves up will solve nothing. Sure, drunk-Steve walked around like a fool with a lampshade on his head. Who cares? And yes drunk-Steve says some stupid things. Drunk people everywhere say silly things all the time. If sober-Steve has a problem with drunk-Steve’s actions, I should avoid drunk-Steve.

So what about when sober-Steve does or says embarrassing things. We are all human. We err. It happens. Take the time to learn from the mistakes. There is nothing wrong with skydiving. But if we have a severe case of acrophobia, we should reconsider our plans. Likewise, if we do something regrettable, (spontaneous splurging on Amazon), then we should put up blockers. It will inhibit future post-purchase depression. (buyer’s regret)Silence will come, and negative thoughts will leer our way. Self-acceptance is our best protection. We are not bad, and we do not deserve bad things to happen to us. We are human, and we deserve self-respect. On that note, don’t forget to high-five the friend in the mirror and give them a smile for me.

Steve Curtis

at1_retired@yahoo.com