Don't look back in anger - ORSOLTECH

2024 is coming to a close, so I wanted to give you one last newsletter before the chaos of 2025 begins.

It's that time of year when our brains will almost automatically look back to the past year.

What went right, what went wrong.

What we have accomplished, and what we have failed to follow through on.

If you're like me, it's easy to overdo the “what went wrong” part, and feel all kinds of negative emotions about those things.

We may look back with guilt for something we did or did not do. As I mentioned in a previous newsletter, I'm someone who has that The greatest amount of “Catholic guilt” Although I am not religious.

I came across a story a few months ago and I'm still thinking about it. It is claimed that there is no word in the Tibetan language that directly translates to “guilt”. The closest possible translation is closer to “intelligent remorse.”

I don't speak Tibetan and couldn't find a Tibetan speaker to confirm this, but I think it's a beautiful sentiment that can help us as we move into 2025.

Guilt can be corrosive and unproductive. But as Dan Pink points out in his book The power of regret, Looking back with the right Kind Regretting things that did or did not happen can actually be powerful and transformative for our future selves.

So, instead of trying to live a “no regrets” life (the opposite of intelligence)…

We can intelligently apply regret to how 2024 went.

So, in honor of Oasis reuniting next year, Don't look back in anger (This is still always crowded, by the way).

Instead… let's look back with curiosity.

Look back with curiosity, not judgment.

Take some time today and take a look back at your year with Curiosity, not judgment.

Did you accomplish the things they wanted to accomplish? great! I bet you learned something.

Has your life gotten off track and you've spent most of the year trying to stay afloat? great! I bet you learned something! Have you started, stopped and bailed on a goal over and over again? great! I bet you learned something!

Write these things down. Notice the feelings you feel when you look back. Write down what you learned, and how it might inform the decisions or choices you make in the future.

Maybe you learned that you hate running, or that going keto was a miserable failure, or that being a first-time parent has completely ruined your life, or that we just can't stick to a morning routine.

These are all things that happened. Now, we must decide what kind of emotions to apply to those objects.

He remembers, The past is not set in stoneSome of these setbacks or failures may be the lesson you need to learn for your “future you.” They may be the catalyst for your next step forward.

Remember, it's not “I messed up/failed, so I'm a lost cause…”

It's “I screwed up, and I learned this lesson that I can take into 2025.”