Destination Inspiration

April 2009

Remorse, Regrets & Hindsight

By Lisbeth Anne Marín

Motivational Speaker

Professional Development Consultant

In my line of work I’m afforded unique opportunities to observe people striving to get over the speed bumps that delay their progress.  I’ve noticed when career issues surface you can usually trace them back to personal practices.

Every now and then I’ll catch a glimmer of greatness in an ordinary hero and gain unexpected insight into the human experience.  In contrast, I also detect grossly unworthy people languishing in positions of lofty success.  You know the type…a big shot who doesn’t possess the technological ability or people skills to warrant their VIP title.  Yet, they remain firmly seated as the person wielding the power.

One such head honcho attended a seminar with their ever-able assistant in tow to help them grasp the workshop concepts.  You could almost hear eyebrows raise around the room as the two entered.  Most of us would have been mortified for everyone to know we needed our assistant to accompany us to a workshop, just so we could understand the subject matter.  Throughout the training the bigwig interrupted me, challenged the topic, asked the most ridiculous questions and generally annoyed the fuzz off of everyone.  My role was to demonstrate respect for their title and position, so I killed’em with kindness and didn’t permit the VIP to ruffle my feathers.  After all, other people don’t get to decide my response…I do.  Still, it baffled me that this individual possessed mad authority yet clearly lacked basic understanding of appropriate workplace behavior.

During the break I overheard the big-wheel pontificating to captive minions saying “I never have any regrets; they’re just a big waste of my time, and I wouldn’t change one thing that I’ve done or any decision I’ve made”. 

I could hardly fathom the arrogance it took to sustain their narrow minded platform?  Can you imagine!?  Initially, I was taken aback and needed some time to absorb this wacko way of thinking.  You see, I can say with absolute confidence that my success system rests firmly upon recognizing the faux pas of my past and making the appropriate adjustments in events of the future. 

Therefore, I invite you to contemplate; are you steadily adjusting the mechanism of your success system?  Let’s face it, none of us are afforded a cosmic do-over on those huge moments we blew nor are we given a redo on chances of a lifetime shot to heck?  Let’s keep it real, hindsight is 20/20 only if you dare to gaze into the face of your regrets.

I confess with confidence that I could fill volumes with situations I’ve handled badly; battles of wits against people who had no ammunition, arguments better avoided and convoluted conversations that got me way deep in the doo doo.  I learned from them and set a goal to not repeat those offenses 

Perhaps it’s all about understanding your personal learning style.  When you find yourself wading through familiar muck or expecting different results from the same old habits, you are certainly fated to failure.  Switch it up and open your attitude.  Make sure you’re throwing out the garbage.  It makes no sense to live a life filled with circular logic.  So try something new, take a leap forward and embrace the twinges of growth.

Lisbeth Anne Marín is a Motivational Speaker & Professional Development Consultant specializing in interpersonal, team building and organizational development skills.  She presents a wide array of staff development training programs, motivational seminars and interactive workshops.  www.lisbethanne.com