the gift of now: moving beyond guilt to action

We are haunted by our failures. The wrong words spoken in anger, the opportunity we let slip away, the choice that hurt someone we love—these moments replay endlessly in our minds. We dissect them, analyze them, torment ourselves with endless "what ifs" and "if onlys." The weight of regret settles heavy on our shoulders, and we carry it like a stone.

But Dr. Edith Eger, who survived the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust, offers us a different path forward. With the wisdom that comes only from profound suffering transformed into grace, she cuts through our self-flagellation with startling simplicity: "If I knew then, what I know now, I would have done things differently." That is the end of that.

Her words are not dismissive—they are liberating. They acknowledge the truth we so desperately want to deny: we cannot change the past. Every moment spent drowning in guilt is a moment stolen from the present, where our power actually lies.

Marcus Aurelius understood this when he wrote in Meditations about giving ourselves the gift of the present moment. This second chance we have—right now—is precious beyond measure. Yet how often do we squander it, lost in the echoes of yesterday's mistakes?

The feeling of regret serves a purpose: it tells us we've learned, that we've grown, that we now possess wisdom we lacked before. But guilt becomes destructive when it paralyzes us, when shame becomes our identity rather than our teacher.

Take that heavy feeling in your chest—that knowledge of what you've done wrong—and transform it into fuel. Let it be the evidence that guides you toward better choices today. The past is immutable, but this moment, this choice, this chance to do things differently—this is yours.