610: A Letter to My Kids (My Biggest Regrets)

9 snips

Nov 5, 2025

Regret can weigh heavily on our hearts, but it doesn't have to. A heartfelt letter to his kids reveals personal regrets about missed moments and family connections. The host shares wisdom on viewing regret as a teacher rather than a burden. He emphasizes the importance of choosing loved ones over convenience and reflects on how cancer reshaped his priorities. By learning from the past and embracing forgiveness, we can transform regret into valuable life lessons for a more intentional future.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Letter Listing Personal Regrets

Hal Elrod reads a heartfelt letter to his children listing his biggest regrets: missing trips, prioritizing work, and moving away from family.
He frames these regrets as lessons meant to guide his kids to choose family and presence over career and convenience.

ADVICE

Transmute Regret Into Wisdom

Accept your regrets, learn the lesson, and make different choices going forward to convert regret into wisdom.
Use regret as a signpost, not a heavy backpack that keeps you trapped in the past.

ADVICE

Make Daily Presence Nonnegotiable

Prioritize being present with your children by creating daily rituals like reading or driving them to school.
Trade some work hours for simple togetherness because those moments matter more than professional achievements.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Feelings of regret can be one of life's heaviest burdens. I'm sure most people have choices and decisions that they've regretted in their lives, and I'm no different. But what I've learned is that regret doesn't have to be a source of suffering; it can be one of our greatest teachers if we let it.

In today's episode, I thought I'd share a very personal letter that I recently wrote to my kids about the biggest regrets of my life. Things like all the precious moments that I've missed that I'll never get back, and moving away from loved ones I wish I'd stayed close to. These are the lessons that taught me that family and loved ones should always come first, no matter what.

Ultimately, this episode is about learning to release the weight of regret and transform it into wisdom. We can't change the past, but we can use it to shape a more intentional, love-centered future. My hope is that you'll reflect on your own life, forgive yourself for what you can't undo, learn from it, and make different choices moving forward. This way, when you look back on your life, you won't be reliving the past; you'll look back fondly on what matters most.

P.S. My newest book, The Miracle Morning After 50: A Proven Path to Joy, Vitality, and Purpose for Aging Adults, co-authored with Dwayne J. Clark, is now available for pre-order at MiracleMorningafter50.com. If you're over 50—or have a loved one who is—this book will help to live with purpose and joy in the second half of life.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

How Regret Can Be a Powerful Teacher If We Accept It
The Importance of Choosing Family and Loved Ones First
Why Being Present Matters More Than Money or Promotions
How to Let Go of the Past and Turn Regret Into Wisdom
Create a Life You'll Never Look Back on With Regret

Get The Full Show Notes

To get full access to today's show notes, including audio, transcript, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit MiracleMorning.com/610

Subscribe, Rate & Review

I would love if you could subscribe to the podcast and leave an honest rating & review. This will encourage other people to listen and allow us to grow as a community. The bigger we get as a community, the bigger the impact we can have on the world.

To subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on iTunes, visit HalElrod.com/iTunes.

Connect with Hal Elrod