There is nothing more tragic in life than the utter impossibility of changing what you have done. Galsworthy.

Does it seem familiar to you: you’ve done something wrong and now can’t help regretting it? We can regret things that didn’t depend on us, but on circumstances. And we can blame ourselves for not having said certain words to someone or for having said them.

But we all know that “one cannot turn back the clock”. Anyway we keep on regretting everything. Don’t you envy those who can find some spiritual power in their soul and duly submit, for it’s the only way to go on.

Read Dale Carnegie’s book (1944) “How to stop worrying and start living” . It can change your life and these are not just words. It is true. Among the important pieces of advice on how to live without worrying, there is a special chapter called “Don’t try to saw the sawdust”.

The title was taken from an actual event, that happened in one American college. Fred Shed, a wise philosopher, asked teenagers if they had ever sawed sawdust. None answered. Of course, sawdust can’t be sawed! – cried Mr. Shed, – You’ve already sawed them! It’s the same with the past.

“Don’t try to saw the sawdust”

Starting to worry about things that have already happened and gone, you saw sawdust”. Isn’t it sensible? If we keep on shedding useless tears we will never realize why we’ve made this or that mistake. Fight as long as you can but, in case you don’t find it reasonable any more, stop doing this. Analyze your faults and pretend to be a humble lamb.

By the way, take an example from animals. Have you ever seen a nervous cow or a crying cat? You haven’t. Our life is too short to spend it regretting something. Each of us makes mistakes. Who doesn’t? Even Napoleon lost one third of his battles! And think over the invaluable prayer, written by Dr. Reynold Niebur: “God bless me with the ability to accept what I can not change, courage to change what I can and wisdom to see the difference between them”.

Photo art by Belgian photographer Ben Goossens

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