Find Your No Regrets Decisions
I have been very lucky in my personal and professional life to be surrounded by wonderful, smart, inspiring, fun, and funny people.
A former manager (and still mentor) of mine used to talk about the idea of "no regrets" decisions when we were in design and planning mode of a new project. By “no regrets,” she meant what are the choices we can make that no matter what, we won't regret them–the effort will have been worth the time and there is little risk in creating a negative outcome.
This has been on my mind lately as I’m getting better at “auditing” how I spend my time and energy and consider what my personal “no regrets” are.
I’ve also been thinking about it as a concept to apply with nutrition coaching and helping clients design what their ideal healthy lifestyle looks and feels like.
The truth is, eating better, getting to sleep earlier, being more physically active, and becoming less emotionally reactive, all takes work. There is effort involved and the benefits are not always immediate or obvious.
If we apply a filter of “no regrets” to the changes we’re making, we can get a little more enjoyment out of the journey and not be inclined to delay happiness until the goal is achieved.
When it comes to health, what are the choices you’ll never regret?
These aren’t necessarily the ones that guarantee success or the ones that feel easy in the moment, but instead the choices that, no matter what happens, will always be worth it.
The opportunity for these kinds of choices are everywhere:
Moving your body daily…this takes time away from something else so how can you make it worth it? A walk with a friend or co-worker? A yoga class you love that feels like true “me time”? Some quick push ups and sit ups to bring you more energy between meetings? What could you do that you would not regret?
Prioritizing sleep…this is a tough one for me. Sometimes staying up late to write, read, or finish a show feels more valuable or relaxing in the moment but if I can take time to get everything prepped for the next day to make the morning just a bit easier on myself, I never regret that.
Adding a few veggies to your plate when eating out…sometimes the fries are worth it but that doesn’t mean you can’t also add the side salad or steamed veggies to get more nutrient dense food in as well (and I’m pretty sure you won’t regret a few extra spears of broccoli or shreds of lettuce).
Managing stress before it manages you…noticing when my body is tense or my patience is wearing thin and taking a few minutes to breathe, reset, and protect my mental well-being is never a waste of time (and has made me easier to be around I’m sure).
No one looks back and wishes they’d been more exhausted or more stressed but it is very tempting to make short term decisions that lead to just that.
We’re faced with these micromoments all the time. So the real question is: What are your “no regrets” health decisions? What gets you just a bit closer to your goals that isn’t going to take a ton of effort today and has a very low risk of leading to a bad result later?
You know my mantra on this stuff…start small, be consistent, and get really good at stacking the “boring” wins.
You wont regret it. ;)
