"If Only"

If only" Two short and simple words yet used so frequently in our lives. "If" often suggests desires such as If I could earn 1 million in 1 year. "Only" in this context suggests exclusivity. Put together "if only" tend to indicate regrets, helplessness and unhappiness. Examples of "if only" situations include: If only I have put in more hard work, I will not be struggling in my studies now, If only I was more careful with my spending, I wouldn't incur such huge debts. If only I was more considerate, he wouldn't be hurt by my hurtful words.In my opinion,

"If only" can be applied to small situations such as quarrels to major life decisions such as career and even marriage. I think it is inevitable that we will use the phrase "If only" in our lives. If only is different from If in that if can suggests desires and regrets but if only is limited to past events, and most of the time wrong decisions made. Read a book entitled "if only" by Neal Rose. Initially, thought that it is a simple book to comprehend, nope I was wrong. Neal Rose, according to the book, is one of the world's top scientists studying regret.

It is indeed inevitable that thoughts about "if only" will be present in our lives but the book taught the readers how to manage our regret style to maximize the gain and minimize the regret. I sort of capture the essence of the book, i.e. don't always feel that you are in the worst situation, and consider how a bad situation could have gone even worse. For instance, if you are lamenting about not being able to be in the desired career of your life, why not consider how your life will be if you don't have a job at all?

I try to apply to myself by thinking that I will be worse off if I don't even have the chance to pursue a tertiary education. Of course, I myself feel that this is merely a different way of looking at things, what is done cannot be unchanged. However, instead of regretting, why not consider the benefits of the alternative. Hope that those who happened to read this entry could live with less regrets and be more positive in life. Alright, I end here now.