The importance of living a life without regrets

Anthony Sotto News Editor

Afewnights ago, a few friends and I were cruising along the highway, listening to music and discussing post-high school plans.

While it was fascinating to talk about our different aspirations and the diverging paths that we’d experience in a few months, it was very poignant.

In a way, it had me wishing that I could go back to freshman year and endow my past self with the knowledge I know now.

So, as I prepare to start a new chapter, I hope that my advice will resonate with those who read this.

Don’t wait until you’re older to have fun, do it now while you’re still young.

A lot of us have this preconceived notion of going to college or grad school and working thereafter to save up before we should have fun.

Life is not meant to be lived linearly, and it’s not guaranteed that the future will match your expectations.

And ironically enough, as we grow older, there are more responsibilities, less free time, and more health problems.

But despite this, people are going to dismiss these opportunities to enjoy themselves because they believe they will have time later.

Money can buy happiness, but it can’t buy fulfillment.

I find it saddening to see people suppress their hopes and dreams in favor of money.

Many of us would rather work a job that we hate over a job that we patiently dreamed about chasing.

Think about it: one-third of your life doing something that you hate. Rolling out of bed exhausted and depressed. Every day doing something that you don’t want to do.

It just seems like an unchanged endless cycle of waking up for high school.

And while I do think the aphorism “Money can’t buy happiness” is a bit of a foolish cliche, it does hold some truth to it.

Money can buy you temporary happiness, but material wealth in itself won’t magically solve any psychological issues or relationship problem that you may have had before you garnered it.

Regret is something you can’t change.

Don’t live with regrets, and don’t take life for granted. Cherish every good and bad moment. Make sure to take responsibility for your own choices and actions. Wallowing in past regret is setting yourself up for future ones.

However, constantly worrying about past and future mistakes can make us forget about living in the now, living in the present moment.

The next year will be a formidable transition for all of us, but I’m optimistic for the future and what it has to offer.

There are going to be a lot of opportunities for us, whether it means a skill to learn or a new friend to meet.

SMALL AND HOPEFUL As a kid, I was full of possibilities, unaware of the things I could accomplish. I was proud of everything I did, and that made me into who I am today.

While we’re still young, let’s make some memories and form relationships that will last a lifetime. Let’s remember to live a life with no regrets.