The What Ifs, What Might Have Beens, and the IF Onlys - Part 3

Part 3 of 3

If Onlys

Have you ever felt so much regret in doing something that didn't turn out well? You gave it so much thought, had many options at your disposal, but the path you chose led to nowhere. Then it hits you...IF Only.

We then tend to reason out on the regrettable decisions we made. If Only there was more time, If Only I listened to you, If Only I didn't become too arrogant or confident, If Only, If Only and If Only. We put so much burden on our backs because of these, the weight becomes so heavy that you forget that you wasted your time dwelling on the If Onlys when you could have done something about it.

But can you really do something?

In my opinion, you cannot. The If Onlys are not like the What Ifs and What Might Have Beens, wherein the What Ifs have not happened yet and you can do something about it, the What Might Have Beens were chances or opportunities that you did not risk on and you can still make up for it in the future, but the If Onlys, pretty much history has been written in your books already, like carvings on stone.

So can we rewrite history for ourselves? Can we just grab an eraser and rub out those regretful decisions we made? Life has its complexities. We learn from our mistakes and failures, and often have to face the fact that maybe, just maybe, things were indeed not meant to be. Then you can't change it anymore.

As my usual example, Sports, if you wish to change your sport from basketball to badminton, you simply have to put time and effort in it to succeed. But some failures and mistakes you make in "Life" may not be perfected or achieved by doing the same effort and devoting the same amount of time. Let's take Love as another example; you made a wrong decision and now she doesn't want to talk to you or see you anymore, the door has been shut. You see, no matter how hard you bang on that door, even if you try to bulldoze it, it ain't going to open unless she freely opens it on the other side.

You only live once. If you make a mistake, that's part of Life. Don't dwell on the What Ifs, the What Might Have Beens and the If Onlys. Take a chance on the things you know in our mind and heart is right. Deal with it.

Part One - The What Ifs
Part Two - The What Might Have Beens