It is a risk to travel to a place you have never been before. It is a risk to care for another person. It is a risk to order a different flavor of coffee in the morning. Our lives are compiled of tiny uncertainties. Therefore, if a person is not taking chances, they are not truly living. It’s a truth acknowledged by all, acted upon by some, and one that I’ve been pondering a lot lately. It’s undeniable that, if you spend the entirety of your time in your room all day, re-watching your favorite television show and listening to the same music you’ve loved for years, you’re comfortable. There is no insecurity involved. Yet, if you spend all of your time doing that, are you truly living?

So, you go out there. You make friends, you find someone who puts the stars in the sky, you wear what you want without fear of being ostracized, you speak your mind regarding your beliefs, and allow yourself to live, grow, evolve. Yet, you get hurt in some of those endeavors.

It’s embarrassing. It’s painful. Your vulnerabilities were exposed; it made you feel like you just walked across a stage bearing all of your heart, donning your truth like a banner, and it didn’t quite work out.

The result of experiencing life and the evolution of self that comes along with it is sometimes feeling humiliated. Sometimes getting hurt. Sometimes wondering if you should have safeguarded your heart; kept it tucked away instead of worn intrepidly on your sleeve. After a perceived mistake, you endure that nagging feeling of “I should have acted differently,” and regrets surface.

I’ve realized regrets are a means of self-preservation. Through them, we have the capability to re-visit the crucial deciding moment. They provide us the illusion that we can go back and change what has occurred. But what has been done is done, and therefore, by surrendering a mere corner of your mind to regret, you are wasting energy that can be more effectively used.

Instead of cringing in remorse, remind yourself that it’s impossible to have a full, fascinating life void of mistakes. What makes life interesting is embracing the moments that are given to you. A person should never apologize for living in the moment and making decisions that they deemed right then.

Sure, you could have made a better choice. Don’t read this article and take away from it that I’m saying to act boldly, behave badly, and say it was “of-the-moment” and therefore justify a poor behavior or unacceptable action. I am not saying that. Nor am I saying to ignore the repercussions of your actions. All I’m saying is that regretting something is a waste of time, space, and energy that you can be capitalizing upon by bettering yourself for the next moment of decision.

Maya Angelou says it best: “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”