Daily Surrender - No Regrets

This I pray, Higher Power: I will surrender to Your will today, which brings me peace and joy that makes all things new.

I no longer have that trampled look of someone forced to remember every mistake he or she has made.

I no longer hide under that blanket of regrets.

My daily surrender to You and the Fellowship that surrounds me leads me away from darkness and into the wonderful light of Your wisdom.

 

The 12 Step Prayer Book Volume 2 by Bill P. and Lisa D.

“Shoulds”

Dwelling on the "shoulds" of past years is fruitless.

I did the best I knew how to do at the time.

The past is gone.

I won't have anything to regret tomorrow if I respond to today with my best self.

The Weight Of The Past -- Regret

Holding onto regret is like dragging the weight of the past with us everywhere we go.
It drains our energy, leaving less available for life in the present because we are constantly feeding an old issue.
This attachment can cause illness the same way watering a dead plant creates decay.
We know that something new and beautiful can grow in its place if we only prepare the soil and plant the right seeds.
We also know that we create our lives from our thoughts, so dwelling on the past may actually recreate a situation in our lives where we are forced to make the choice again and again.
We can choose to move on right now by applying what we have learned to the present and perhaps even sharing with others, transforming the energy into something that is constructive and creative for ourselves and others.

Forgiveness is the soothing balm that can heal regret.
In meditation, we can imagine discussing the issue with the self of our past and offering our forgiveness for the choice.
In return, we can ask for our selves’ forgiveness for keeping them locked in that space of judgment for so long.
We may also want to ask forgiveness from anyone else who may have been affected and perhaps offer our forgiveness.
By replaying the event in our minds, we can choose a new ending using all that we now know.
Imagine that you have actually gone back into the past and made this change, and then say goodbye to it.
Release your former self with a hug and bring the forgiveness and love back with you to the present.
Since we are usually our harshest critics, it is amazing how powerfully healing it can be to offer ourselves love.

Keeping our minds and our energy fully in the present allows us to fuel our physical and emotional healing and well-being today.
This action frees our energy to create the dreams we dream for the future.
By taking responsibility and action in the present, we can release our hold on the past.

-- DailyOM

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Regret

Regret is an appalling waste of energy,

you can't build on it:
it's only good for wallowing in.

-- Katherine Mansfield

Accepting One's Sins

"If one can accept one's sin,
one can live with it.
If one cannot accept it,
one has to suffer the inevitable consequences."

-- Carl Jung

I must come to accept my past acts before they will stop causing me pain.
I will no longer regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
Am I coming to accept myself?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne'er a word said she;
But, Oh, the things I learned from her
When Sorrow walked with me!

-- Robert Browning Hamilton

I may think that forgetting the past is essential for growth and peace of mind.
It's a tempting idea: I'll start over again, I think, fresh and new.
But if I lose that old pain, I'll also lose all that I have learned.
I may repeat my mistakes, or make even worse ones next time.
Dwelling on the past is equally dangerous.
I began my journey to build a better life.
To find and maintain my balance, each area of my life needs attention.
With my remembering, I can truly experience the repentance that frees me from regret and remorse.
When I acknowledge my mistakes, I can learn from them and come to forgive myself.