Sometimes it feels like we’ve never grown out of that awkward stage. We learn quickly that adulthood does not come with a written set of guidelines that can easily be referred to for answers. We try, we fail, and we learn. The most important thing we can do is to forgive ourselves for the mistakes we’ve made along the way – unless they’re one of these really, really bad ones. Here are five mistakes every woman should dwell on for the rest of her life:
Not Dating Your Friend
He’s been there for you through all of your breakups and all of your crushes, but when he tried to give you his heart, you told him you didn’t like him that way. Well guess what? That guy you turned down because you “didn’t want to ruin the friendship” is now the most handsome and successful man in town. Have you seen his hot wife? That could have been you, but noooooo, you had to hold out for some imaginary, perfect guy. Bad move. Better dwell on this one forever.
Dieting Instead of Living
Have you ever stopped to think of all the times you’ve missed out on delicious food and great life experiences because of your stupid diet? Perhaps if you’d have just ordered the chilaquiles at brunch instead of bringing your own smoothie like a weirdo, your friends wouldn’t have stopped inviting you out. Hope the flat stomach was worth it! Allow yourself to never, ever let this go and see how freeing it doesn’t feel.
Not Taking That Risky Job
When you were on the employment hunt, plenty of opportunities arose. Some of them were exciting and different, but you decided to play it safe and take the most reasonable job. Why did you do that? You could have taken your chances as a travel writer and seen the world by now, but you might as well just stay in your office chair and brood on this for awhile.
That One Time You Thought That Lady Was Waving to You so You Waved Back but She Wasn’t
No, she still hasn’t forgotten about it. In fact, she and her colleagues probably still laugh about it.
Becoming/Not Becoming a Mother
Whichever one you decided on, you were wrong. Just think about how much more fulfilling your life would be with/without kids!
Failure is a necessary part of life. Nobody is perfect, but we can certainly keep trying to be our best selves. As long as we stay open-minded, optimistic, and aware of how gravely we have fucked up beyond any possibility of recovery, we’ll be just fine.
