October 20, 2025

In life, we sometimes do something or make decisions that take us down the wrong path. We don't realise it at that particular moment, but we come to know the consequences later. Those consequences make us feel guilty and regretful for our choices and decisions. Situations in life make us trust someone else blindly and just do what they say. But this sometimes costs us even our peace of mind and life itself.

A similar incident happened a month ago in my life, which made me write this article. Trusting a friend or someone close, thinking they always want what’s best for us, is foolishness. At present, everyone thinks of their own life first. Nobody except our parents truly thinks for our good. Yes, there are a handful of people who guide us correctly and want our good, but still, one should think before following the advice or path shown by others. Because once we fall into the wrong trap, it leaves a lifetime scar.

Time, people, career, and choice — these four things in our life are like the pillars of our future. Most importantly, we think that we have plenty of time to do everything, take it for granted, and waste it often. From our student days, we develop a habit of procrastination. Be it studies, assignments, or projects, we never do them quickly; instead, we wait for the submission date to come near. I still remember the study holidays we got during college exams — the more the gap between exams, the lazier we became to open the books. The thought strikes the mind that there are still days left to cover the syllabus. By doing this, we are neither able to complete our studies nor get the desired results. Later on, in the workplace, we find it difficult when piles of work lie on the table because our younger selves were not habituated to working continuously. Procrastination is a serious issue. The delay in waking up in the morning to the delay in sleeping at night — all the activities of our day get ruined if we are not disciplined. The time we waste now for short-term pleasures and entertainment leaves a “lifetime regret” — the regret of not focusing on studies during student days, not building a career, and many more.

People are the next significant pillar of our journey. We tend to meet different kinds of people at different stages of life, but we often don’t value those who show us the right path, care for us, and guide us. Instead, in seeking short-term pleasures, we go with the wrong people who divert us from our goals and career. When we realise our mistake, that person will have already gone away from our lives, and the only thing remaining is “regret”.

Career — the third and core element of every person’s life. After studies, it’s very important to focus on career first, but this is also the time when lust and emotions create hurdles. People try to skip this element and directly jump to the next section — love life (marriage). Be it girls or boys, the first thing is to build a career for ourselves. When we are young and energetic, we must work hard on our passion and dreams. Once the career is set, the right people will automatically hold our hands. Otherwise, we see many examples around us of people who sacrificed their lives for love and left only “regret” for their loved ones.

Choice is not the least, but the foundation of regret — because regret comes when we make wrong choices and decisions in life. Technology has grown rapidly, but still, we can’t see the future. We cannot see the results of the choices we make today; we will get to know about them only in the future.

Everyone must try to lead a life with few or no regrets. It’s possible only when we don’t hurry through life, make decisions wisely, think before believing someone blindly, and fruitfully utilise our time. Situations may sometimes turn against us, but at such times, one should not give up or lose control over one’s mind. Calmness and patience are the two keys to coming out of any problem with ease.