No Regrets

Your Choices Can Change Your Life

Once again The Atlantic Magazine published an article that created quite a stir amongst feminists – it was about how women still can’t have it all. Unlike some, I really liked the article. I thought it was a nice change of pace from the rather pessimistic feminist fare they’ve had of late. (And yes, it is interesting that I interpret the frank pessimism of the article as optimistically realistic.)

Anyway – I agree because I think the idea that anyone can have it all is a fantasy. Living a successful life consists of making choices. Some of these choices necessarily close off future potential in other areas of our lives. For instance, when I chose to get a degree in Hawaii, I was also choosing not to take a job in Japan. It was a choice I had no choice but to make. I couldn’t do both. I could only do one or the other or neither. That choice most definitely change the trajectory of my life.

It seems to me that the key to being happy in life isn’t in somehow managing to have it all. Rather, the key is learning how not to regret the choices that are the turning points in your life. 

Image: "Past Present And Future Signpost" by Stuart Miles FreeDigitalPhotos.net