A professor from New York University recently issued a heartfelt apology to her students and followers for promoting Elon Musk as the ideal entrepreneur since 2018, unaware of the darker side to his personality, which became evident during his recent campaign for Trump.
This is a classic example of regret, a feeling many people experience when things don’t go as expected. They often find themselves asking, “Why didn’t I choose a different path or make a different decision?”
I can relate to this feeling—I experienced something similar when I mentioned Trump in my book The Inspired Manager, a decade before he entered politics (some might argue that it’s a contradiction to use the words “inspired” and “Trump” together!). At the time, I used him as an example of a businessman who relentlessly pursues his objectives despite numerous failures and bankruptcies.
When evaluating past decisions, there are two key scenarios:
- You made a decision based on thorough research, exhausting all avenues to gather relevant data, and then made your choice.
- You made a quick decision with limited information, where not enough scrutiny or effort was invested in the process.
The best approach to decision-making is to rely on the most comprehensive information available at the time. Important decisions should be based on thorough data, careful analysis, and sound judgement, making them the “right” choices for that moment. If circumstances change in the future and things don’t go as planned, regret serves no purpose, as the future is always uncertain.
However, if you made a rushed decision without gathering all the necessary information or putting in enough effort, it is a mistake, and it’s important to acknowledge it. But the past cannot be changed. Instead, take it as a lesson learned and ensure the mistake is not repeated.
The key is not to dwell on regret—just learn from it. Dwelling on regret only leads to emotional distress and mental strain. Moreover, chronic regret has been shown to negatively impact health by increasing stress, depression, and heart disease risk while weakening immunity, as noted in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Psychosomatic Medicine.
Use past experiences as a tool to make better decisions moving forward.
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