The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward

by Daniel H. Pink

If our lives are the stories we tell ourselves, regret reminds us that we have a dual role. We are both the authors and the actors. We can shape the plot but not fully. We can toss aside the script but not always. We live at the intersection of free will and circumstance.

If we think about regret like this—looking backward to move forward, seizing what we can control and putting aside what we cannot, crafting our own redemption stories—it can be liberating.

Regret makes me human. Regret makes me better. Regret gives me hope.