What May Have Been

"It is a sobering truth that almost every decision we make closes more doors that it opens... When we take up a certain profession, we turn our backs on a whole host of alternatives. Every decision brings with it the very real possibility of regret."

"Most of the respondents (around 75 per cent) said their biggest regret involved something they did not do, while only a minority (around 25 per cent) said their biggest regret involved something they did it.

... the part of the reason is because we can see clearly the consequences of things we did do, but are free to imagine what might have been the consequences of things we did not do... we torture ourselves with the thought of joys, loves and successes that would have been ours even if we had done things differently."

"It is worth bearing in mind that our biggest sources of regret are likely to be the things we did not do rather than the things we did."

Do it or do not do it - you will regret both.

- Article by Gary Hayden, The Straits Times - Mind Your Body, 11 March 2010