Regrets are something we all carry around. Some of us more lightly than others.

Maybe I’m projecting but when I saw “Harold” the other day it occurred to me that his regrets were of the heavier variety. He was working hard on his laptop but occasionally he’d look out the window of the train with a regretful frown on his face. I got out my pen and did a quick sketch.

My imagination had him wistfully thinking about a very early crush. When boys are just beginning to get interested in girls there’s that awkward period where you’re scared to ask for a dance, or to even say hello, let alone have a kiss. That doesn’t stop you from thinking about it though does it? Harold had a full-on early crush (“ahh Judy Grange, easily the most winsome smile in the sixth grade …”) and it was a bit of unrequited emotional hell, hence his secret wish.

Creativity is something that happens in the present, and so, while we all have a few regrets, perhaps the best thing to do with them is note them, then use them. Harold might have picked up the phone and called Judy as a creative choice. Or, if Judy is off the radar, another grade school friend he thinks about, loved, was friends with, etc. Or, Harold might have wrote a story about his Judy fantasy, or, might have drawn a picture of what her face looked like as a 12 year old girl. There’s even a connection he might make to business — how might he have more empathy with his younger customers? In what ways might Harold bring a touch of innocence to the new direct mail piece he’s designing? There’s often a reason our brain pops up an image from the past — it’s food for a creative mash-up with our current challenges.

Regrets aren’t a bad thing really, and don’t beat yourself over a bad decision made in the past — it’s history. Don’t dwell too long on regrets, instead, let a regret remind you that the time is now to create a future you won’t regret — use regret creatively.

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PS: The holidays are upon us, and, you won’t regret reading — Jack’s Notebook, a business novel about creative problem solving, available on Amazon (yes, Kindle ready). It’s a great book to inspire creative action.

If you’re a reviewer, a college professor, a teacher, or in corporate training, please get in touch with me about the book and creativity and innovation training programs.

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