How have you reconciled failure vs. quitting? How have you managed to pick up the pieces of your most passionate undertaking after dropping it? Is the desire to reinvent myself and undertake a new passion/direction just a mechanism to hide the pain of giving up? [more inside]
posted by Gaeacon on Nov 24, 2009 - 7 answers

Any stories, published or personal, about those who've taken the road less traveled... and regretted it? [more inside]
posted by The otter lady on Jul 15, 2009 - 18 answers

How can I live with myself after lying and cheating? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 7, 2009 - 22 answers

Should I take a "career" position in a field in which I don't want to advance so that I can get the money to do what I want to do? [more inside]
posted by ramenopres on May 23, 2009 - 32 answers

Occasionally I find myself regretting and second-guessing decisions I've made in the past. Whenever this happens, it naturally wreaks havoc on my happiness and self-esteem. I'd like to be able to cheer myself up during such times. What are your favorite quotations about letting go of the past/looking toward the future/stopping regret/living in the present/etc.?
posted by punchdrunkhistory on May 22, 2009 - 23 answers

I have to make a hard, life-altering decision that I've been debating on for a year. I am having a hard time doing so due to past issues that resulted from me not thinking through these things first. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 16, 2009 - 28 answers

Grass_is_always_greener Filter: How can I stop torturing myself with regret and learn to make decisions again? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 13, 2009 - 18 answers

How to know if I actually want the relationship back? Relationship of three years currently on break. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 4, 2009 - 13 answers

How does one know that they've found the right partner? I don't have my dream job, apartment, body, city... no aspect of my life is exactly what I dream about. But I'm generally happy with my life and I'm thankful for the good things I have. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 25, 2008 - 32 answers

What's the best way to catch all of the olympics that I missed? It seems like NBC's coverage was narrow at best and I'd like to see some of the great stuff they didn't focus on. Is there the equivalent of a boxed set of olympic footage that will show up on netflix at some point, or am I just stuck cobbling together olympic torrents?
posted by mecran01 on Aug 24, 2008 - 12 answers

How would you choose between leaving a girl after 5 years that you could be happy with in marriage, but who doesn’t want to wait for you, in order to follow your dream of checking out day to day life in the country you were born. Fear of regret and resentment later in life a big factor here.(long explanation follows) [more inside]
posted by talljamal on Aug 20, 2008 - 19 answers

Followed my dreams, now totally wish I hadn’t-- how do I stop regretting it, make the tough choices and move forward with my poor mangled career? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 20, 2008 - 30 answers

My geometry teacher in high school in 1984 showed us this puzzle. I was only half paying attention, but I believe the goal was to draw a line that intersected each segment only once. [more inside]
posted by mecran01 on Jan 6, 2008 - 15 answers

Cats in the Cradle. I have a sticky situation re: my estranged father (& his family) and my upcoming graduation. I broke off contact a few months ago and don't really want to open that can of worms again, but he recently emailed me to ask if I've "worked through my issues", and the distress my silence is causing the man makes me nauseous. How can I set boundaries without being cruel when what I really want is for him to forget all about me? [more inside]
posted by mer2113 on Mar 15, 2007 - 36 answers

Trying to find a Michael Chabon essay on regret and unhapppiness from Details magazine. [more inside]
posted by msali on Jan 4, 2007 - 6 answers

Did I make the right decision regarding my preschooler? Why am I always unsure of my decisions I make for my children? Oh my, it's so long. [more inside]
posted by LoriFLA on Nov 4, 2006 - 42 answers

It's the end of my first year of grad school, and the only professor I am excited about working with is moving to another university...do I go with him? [more inside]
posted by emyd on Jun 12, 2006 - 21 answers

I recently got into a graduate school program which would fund me for the next 5 years. The thing is, in the first year I am expected to do lab rotations (3 in total), and I talked with a professor about seriously wanting to join hs group rather enthusiastically without consulting others first. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 8, 2006 - 9 answers

Help me identify this (Off-?)Broadway number. [more inside]
posted by Ash3000 on Feb 6, 2006 - 10 answers

Reading this thread it occured to me that I too am a highschool student, yet had never really thought about prom. Attending said event had never occured to me. The "if you don't do this you'll regret it for the rest of your life" posts have teamed up with a lifetime of pop culture refrences and are now ringing in my head, making me wonder... should I go? [mi] [more inside]
posted by phrontist on May 3, 2005 - 70 answers

Three months ago, my then-girlfriend and I broke off a 2.5-year relationship. We were doing it long-distance for the entirety of it, though that never hurt us. Two summers we lived together, too. We had started to fight a lot later—usually about stupid things—and basically just started to drive each other nuts while we were apart. When we were together in person, things were wonderful, but we had to support each other across the hundreds of miles, too. It was a mutual break-up for the most part: she wanted to take a month off, but I said it was inappropriate for us to pretend to be with each other when we're really trying to get away. This may have been the biggest mistake of my life. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 29, 2005 - 46 answers

A very good, close friend of mine for at least 16 years, recently revealed something to me . . . [more inside]
posted by yesster on Jul 30, 2004 - 32 answers