Day 9 – Writing Challenge – What is that one thing you regret very badly and cannot change?
Welcome to the Day 9 of the Writing Challenge. As you move ahead to write about today’s challenge and share the one thing you regret, you can also check out the below topic, which shall put you on a path driven by a strong desire to achieve your dreams and bring positive changes in your life.
Another topic of the day – Top 10 motivational books to get going the right way
What is that one thing you regret very badly and cannot change?
Regret is a strong emotion that moves or breaks us from the inside. At some point in your life, you might have had the regret to hurt someone, cheating, blaming, ignoring, being utterly selfish, or having done something that impacts others’ lives, and you did not intend to do it.
When you have regretted having done something you cannot change, the only thing you can do is forgive yourself and never repeat that mistake. Take it as a lesson. It is difficult to sometimes forgive yourself, but you need to take care of your mental health too. Either you can try to mend things or even close to making things better, or forgive and move on to become a better person.
When you write about your regret, leave it on that piece of paper, to never look back. Take that paper and let it flow away from you. Deep down you will feel you have let go of that burden that did no good to you and anyone else. Be capable to mend others’ life as well as yours. Come over that regret and be the person you should have been. Redemption is the word that should replace Regret.
When we turn the pages of our life, we will come across many regrets. I will share one of mine. I regret to have missed my Graduation Day which, unfortunately, which I could not attend due to unavoidable circumstances. It felt like I was losing out on something, but today, the regret has deepened, and by writing this down, I want to leave it here just like we can leave the halogen balloon, and it goes far away in the sky.
As you note the thing you regret, remind yourself to be a little kind forgive yourself and let it go. The thing you regret very badly may be something that can haunt you all your life so let it go.
Top 10 motivational books to get going the right way
What is motivation? We often ask ourselves what is that one thing that will inspire us to a level that we get motivated to achieve something we always cared to accomplish. Motivation is that dose of dopamine, the happy hormone, which makes us feel overwhelmed to take control of our life and change it.
If you seek motivation, you can see it in the dried leaves falling in autumn, feel it in the flowing water, broken vase, and every perfect and imperfect aspect surrounding us and within our reach.
“Presented with new information, the brain creates new connections and is revitalized. This is why it is so important to expose yourself to change, even if stepping outside your comfort zone means feeling a bit of anxiety.”
Hector Garcia Puigcerver, Ikigai
Ikigai means what makes you wake up each day – the purpose or reason to live your life. The book explains the Japanese secret to a long and happy life to help us find our ikigai. It talks about an Island named Okinawa in Japan, where most people live for 100 years. People living on this island live longer than in any other place in the world.
This book written by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia explains how we can learn from them and find our life purpose, and happiness, and live a healthy and simple life. Once you read this book, you will gain more insights into this Japanese philosophy. This book is about learning from others’ lives and getting motivated to change ours. Buy at Amazon
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
I understand that everyone suggests this book to read at least read in their life and it is true for some commendable reasons. The way the author has put forward the thought to follow our dreams through the shepherd boy Santiago is worth mentioning. Wherever your mind is, when you read this book, you feel connected and want to follow the path with all your heart to achieve your dreams. Buy on Amazon
“Nothing in the world is ever completely wrong. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.”
Paulo Coelho, Brida
Brida is a very inspirational book that encourages you to take risks in the search for your destiny. It tells us to take risks in life, and, never cease to find love. This book talks about soulmates we meet in our life, who are not bound by time and commitment. They come into our life with a purpose and leave or stay as destined. Brida meets her soulmates on her path toward finding her destiny. When you end this book, you will understand why it is important that you do not give up and keep looking for your true selves. Buy on Amazon
The life of a lawyer, Julian Mantle goes out of balance, and he sells his mansion and Ferrari to gain wisdom and the right balance in his life. The book is very impactful, and you feel a ray of hope hitting your soul. This fable is about how you can improve your life, attain inner peace, and happiness in your life. Buy on Amazon
“The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat.”
Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich
This book talks about instigating the need to have a desire and how we can manifest those desires. The author explains thirteen principles in the book. The book revolves around a desire, having faith in the attainment of the desire, and also focuses on the power of affirmations and the principles that go on to motivate readers to take action. Buy on Amazon
“He was not bone and feather but a perfect idea of freedom and flight, limited by nothing at all”
Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull
We all are always scared of falling. But if we are scared of falling, we may never learn to fly. This book talks about the spirit of freedom and pushing yourself beyond your limits to feel the liberating nature of life. It uses the seagull as a metaphor and shows us the value of creating a meaningful life where we can be so much more than we think we can ever be. It’s an amazing book to read. Buy on Amazon.
“Perhaps it’s true that things can change in a day. That a few dozen hours can affect the outcome of whole lifetimes. And that when they do, those few dozen hours, like the salvaged remains of a burned house—the charred clock, the singed photograph, the scorched furniture—must be resurrected from the ruins and examined. Preserved. Accounted for. Little events, ordinary things, smashed and reconstituted. Imbued with new meaning. Suddenly they become the bleached bones of a story.”
Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things
This book talks about the societal inequalities and mishaps happening in the life of characters of the book and highlights that we should have equal human rights irrespective of gender, and caste. It will give you a spark of motivation in your own life. Buy on Amazon.
The story highlights the societal norms for women, and how it has set rules on how they should behave. Through the story of Elizabeth and Darcy, it wants to say that we should not be so judgemental towards others. Buy on Amazon
“Don’t be afraid of enemies who attack you. Be afraid of the friends who flatter you.”
Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends & Influence People
It focuses on how you can win friends and influence people through the given techniques in the book. The author talks about doing this by genuinely being interested in other people, making them feel valued, praising more and criticizing or complaining less, being generous and the list goes on. You can apply the techniques and try them in your life. Buy on Amazon
“What you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine. The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists.”
Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?
Who Moved My Cheese is an interesting, and simple story conveying crucial lessons to apply in our life. Through this story, the author explains why our growth gets stagnant and how we need to move on and find new resources to keep growing in life. Buy on Amazon
Completed reading the book? Now, what to do?
Reading the books and feeling motivated to take control of your life is great. Now you need to take action.
- You need to take a sticky note and write the most important lesson you learned from that book. Stick it somewhere that comes to direct attention.
- Plan the immediate action you want to take to change things in your life. Try one thing to change at a time. Focus on that part of your life that needs the motivation to heal and rejuvenate again.
- Join a book club and discuss your thoughts and opinions. You will gain a different perspective and try to look at things from others’ points of view, and the same will happen to others too.
- Start writing a daily journal that shall help you take a closer look at yourself and your life. You can add what touched your heart about the book and your ideas on how you can apply that in real-life scenarios. I have written an article on journaling too. You can check out the following link: What to write in a daily journal.
- If you know someone going through a challenging phase in their life and needs motivation, then gift it to them. You can write a short note on the bookmark and give it. You pass on your motivation to help others.
Reading without action is like impressions on the sand that blows away from your mind with time. Do not let the motivation blow away and leave you in a desert where you do not know where to move ahead.
Different ways to read a book
Not everyone has the feasibility to carry paperback books, but that does not limit the access to the stories today. Below are different ways to read the books the way you like:
- Paperback / Hardcover
The paperback mode is one of the most nostalgic modes of reading. You connect yourself emotionally with the book, and for an avid reader, the feeling you get with the smell of new books cannot replace any other feeling. You cannot carry lots of books as you move along, but we still prefer paperback and collect bookmarks to keep with it. Paperback shall be costly, and as we change places, we leave behind many of the books. It also gives you some time away from the digital world.
To manage the cost, you can get a membership from the nearest library, read as much as you like, and return it. This way, you stick to your paperback and also manage the costs.
Kindle is one of the best ways if you want to read a book anywhere, anytime. You can carry it anywhere, and it is lightweight so no need to worry about changing cities. It goes with you, and you can read as many books as you want.
You can either buy the Kindle or download the application on your smartphone and get a Kindle subscription. It has a 30-day free trial.
- Audio Books
The audiobook is also another mode to amuse ourselves by listening to stories like we did when we were kids, and our parents or grandparents used to read us bedtime stories. One of the best parts of it is that you cannot divert your attention and need to focus, which keeps your mind away from wandering to random thoughts that capture your attention. It will enhance your focusing capabilities.
Below are some options for audiobooks:
- Blinkist – This app is amazing. You can either read or listen to the key ideas of the book. It describes the “about”, “Who’s it for”, “time needed to complete” and Key Ideas of the book and the final summary. If you are too busy with your daily work, this can be an effective way to include the love of books in the short breaks you get during your day. It has a 7-day free trial.
- Audible – The best place to check audiobooks. You can go to the “Discover” option and search for your books to buy them. It has a free trial. It is not a free app.
- Hoopla Digital – This provides numerous books to read, and this is a free app. Enjoy reading!
I hope the article on “Top 10 motivational books to get going the right way” gives you immense options to dive into the inspiration and come out motivated and rejuvenated. I hope while writing today’s challenge, a part of you that was holding the thing you regret will be released and healed.
Day 9 of the writing challenge comes to an end but you can check the entire list below:
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