Liz Fosslien, an illustrator known for her thoughtful insights alongside her partner Molly, discusses how she learned to embrace her regrets after a family crisis. Daniel Pink, author of The Power of Regret, shares findings from his World Regret Survey, revealing that about 90% of people feel significant remorse and how understanding these emotions can guide authentic living. Together, they explore how regrets can highlight values, foster personal growth, and encourage making choices aligned with our true selves.
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Liz's Regret
Liz Fosslien regretted not supporting her mother during a family crisis.
This regret stemmed from prioritizing work over family.
insights INSIGHT
Regret is Universal
Regret is a common human experience, affecting over 90% of people.
Living a #noregrets life is unrealistic.
insights INSIGHT
The Nature of Regret
Regret is a complex emotion requiring self-blame, mental time travel, and counterfactual thinking.
It arises from our brain's ability to imagine different choices and their outcomes.
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Big Feelings offers an insightful and approachable guide to managing complex emotions. The book explores feelings such as uncertainty, comparison, anger, burnout, and perfectionism, providing practical strategies to turn overwhelming emotions into manageable ones. It combines surprising science with personal stories and original illustrations to help readers understand and navigate their emotions more effectively.
The Power of Regret
How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward
Daniel Pink
In The Power of Regret, Daniel H. Pink delves into the psychology of regret, drawing on extensive research in social psychology, neuroscience, economics, and biology. He debunks the myth of the 'no regrets' philosophy and argues that regret is a fundamental and valuable emotion. Pink identifies four core categories of regret: foundation regrets, boldness regrets, moral regrets, and connection regrets. These categories serve as a 'photographic negative' of the good life, revealing what people value most. The book provides a three-step process for transforming regrets into positive forces for personal growth and better decision-making. Pink's work is based on his World Regret Survey, which collected regrets from over 16,000 people in 105 countries, offering practical guidance on how to thrive beyond mistakes and turn regrets into learning opportunities.
The top five regrets of the dying
Bronnie Ware
In this book, Bronnie Ware shares her experiences from working in palliative care, where she identified the five most common regrets of the dying. These regrets include: 'I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me,' 'I wish I hadn’t worked so hard,' 'I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings,' 'I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends,' and 'I wish that I had let myself be happier.' The book provides a heartfelt and inspiring account of how these regrets can be addressed while there is still time, promoting a life of greater compassion, honesty, and happiness.
Regret sucks. Thinking back on things we should have done, or should never have done, can make us feel bad. But #noregrets isn't a philosophy for a happy and healthy life.
Regrets can be a great guide and can help us live a life that's true to our authentic selves. Illustrator Liz Fosslien learned to listen to her regrets after letting down her mom during a family crisis. While writer Daniel Pink compiled a global database of regrets to help unpick what common regrets tell us about our real values.
For Further Reading:
Daniel Pink - The Power of Regret. How Looking Back Moves Us Forward
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos 
