We've all been there before. Maybe you've spent hours working on a project or research that didn't work out the way that you planned. Maybe you've spent days writing a paper only to realize that you've changed your position. Maybe you've spent weeks building a relationship or friendship that wasn't meant to be. We've all had some regrets about using the short amount of time that we have in this life on something that didn't work out. But those hours, or days, or weeks can be the most important of your life.
For one thing, you learn perseverance. You discover how to pick yourself up and be strong. You let any disappointment fuel you to be better the next time. You figure out new ways to get to where you want to be and find your own security within yourself. That security is all you need to be successful.
For another thing, you learn about how you want to be treated. In spending time trying to build a relationship, whether it be purely friendly or romantic, you see how much effort you put in. If it's not reciprocated, then you know what to look for in the future. You no longer accept less than what you deserve. You understand what you want and will let go of relationships that do not respect what you want. In spending the time to get to know somebody, even for it to not work out, you have more time in the future to spend with those who deserve your good days and even your bad ones.
You learn that what is meant to happen will happen. You can only control a small percentage of your own life. Sometimes fate takes over and decides what you want is not what is meant to happen. And that's OK. Maybe you were never supposed to do that research because you were meant to find a new topic. Maybe you were never supposed to date that boy because there is another one waiting around the corner that will make you laugh more than you imagined possible. Maybe you were never supposed to be friends with her because she wouldn't understand why you are the way you are.
It may not seem like it right away, but there is no such thing as a waste of time. The time you think you've wasted is just a period in your life that brings you to the next step, a better step. It prepares you for upcoming struggles and makes you a better friend, student or worker. We are all a work in progress. Every second is meant to teach you something about yourself or the world. Look back to when you thought you wasted some time on something or someone. Was it just a waste of time or a period of evolution?
