Had any regrets lately? My life is full of them. So that you can identify with this writer, I will now share some personal regrets with you:

1) I bought a Milli Vanilli tape when I was in high school. Not sure why I’d regret that?  Watch this: http://youtu.be/cG6fRHzVpNU

2) I once traded a totally hip Jeep Cherokee for a four door Oldsmobile Alero.

3) When my wife and I first got married we lived in a high-rise in downtown Chicago. When we walked to the grocery store, I would not pay $6 for a cab so we’d walk back with all the groceries and those ridiculous little plastic bag straps would nearly amputate our fingers.

The way I see it we all have some regrets in our lives. For some of you, it may be your hair in high school or something slightly more serious that deals with a  job or a relationship.

Well, I am here to type to you: don’t let regret take hold of you! In recent months, I have learned a little about myself and one thing that has become increasingly clear to me is that I tend to regret things from the past while at the same time fearing regrets that I may have in the future. How insane it that! (note: rhetorical, hence the “!” and not the use of “?”).

Used sparingly and responsibly, like wines in a recipe, regret can be a nice reminder to not make the same mistake twice. It can motivate. It can create a fear or a drive in a person that will help them achieve the next level. I’d argue that a healthy amount of regret can keep a person moving in the right direction.

But, when regret starts to consistently show up like a drunk at Applebee’s during the 2-for-1 happy hour window of 5-7pm (just guessing mom), then you need to take a step back and make sure regret is not controlling you.

As I watch my girls grow up, I often find myself gripped with regret that maybe I missed too much of their lives. Maybe I shouldn’t have worked so much. Maybe I shouldn’t have traveled, or read a book on a Saturday, or gone out with a friend to a ballgame, or……

When my wife and I decided to leave St. Louis and move ourselves to Dallas in the summer of 2011, one of the driving reasons behind it was so we could spend more time together and grasp a more manageable lifestyle. I did not want to watch my kids grow up and go to college while I sat on my couch and wept, wondering, “Where was I for the last 18 years?”

Now, I wrestle with conflict in my mind when it comes to big decisions because I am fearful of the regret that I may have if I do this or if I do that.

It is time for me to close. It’s not because I’m out of intelligent words, rather because the flight attendant told me it is time to end my super deep thought time.

So, in closing, I’ve got nothing for you. I am still learning how to navigate this power of regret. I’m trying to make it manageable, more reasonable. I want to own regret. Not the way I owned that stupid four door Olds, but in a way that allows me to live life to the fullest. To capture the moment. To not look back with regret while at the same time not worrying about what potential regrets may wait for me.

I hope this intersected with something in your life. Maybe it spoke to you. Maybe you have some something to share with me. I’m all ears. Trust me, I am all ears – I have to power down my iPod and remove my earbuds for landing.