Regrets

What would you change or do differently if you were given a second chance? What did your mistakes teach you? What advice would you give to the people who are in the same situation with you? A psychologist launched a website and encouraged people to share their regrets. The website became very popular in a short time. Below you will the read regrets of three people.

……….…….…..………… KT, 20, University student

I wish I had worked harder when I was at school. I spent too much time hanging out with my friends on social media or playing computer games. My parents were always telling me to study but I ignored them as much as possible. When I was a teenager, being online was the most important thing in my life. I didn't want to miss anything! Now I am having a really hard time with my course at university and I failed some of my exams recently. I really regret that I didn't work harder when I was at school.

……….…….…..………… Sally, 24, Fashion Designer

The lesson that I learned through experience has been very helpful all my life. I was in the football team and we had to win the game to get into the finals. We had just three minutes and had to score a goal. I got the ball and started to run towards the goal. Our captain was next to me and to motivate me she shouted ‘Come on, take a shot, you can do it’, at that moment I panicked and passed the ball to her. However, she wasn’t ready for that so she missed it. I would have scored a goal and we would have got into the finals if I hadn’t passed the ball to her. The lesson I learnt was to take every opportunity I can.

……….…….…..………… Barry, 55, Carpenter

I was a typical teenager who didn’t use to listen to his parents. I always thought that they were old and they had out of date ideas so I ignored all the good advice they gave me. I wish I had listened to my parents more. Now being a parent of two teenagers, I understand how right they were. If I had listened to their advice, I would have made better decisions and my life would be totally different. I would have been a college graduate and got married later. I hope my daughters don’t make the same mistake that I did.

Adapted from English in Mind 3