4 minute read
The Regrets No Woman Can Afford.
By Elle Wilson
Are you missing something so big that the regret you’ll feel just isn’t worth it? Keep reading. It might sound cliché to say life is precious, but it is. Your life is a testament to your choices and why you made them. Feeling restless, frustrated, over-striving, or even the opposite, underachieving, isn’t your fate, it’s a misunderstanding we can face and surpass.
We’re all wired to chase more, to have more, do more. This human instinct no one escapes. If you’re overdriven, you know exactly what I mean: that relentless push, certain the next win will bring peace. If you’re underdriven, it’s the ache for what feels out of reach. This isn’t personal; it’s universal. As a mentor, my purpose isn’t to force balance, that’s a myth. It’s to open your eyes to where this “success instinct” hooks you, hurting you and those around you.
Unexamined, this instinct is brutal. It scrapes away the precious promise life offers every moment: to be present, to connect, to live fully now. That voice in your head, always aiming for the one big moment when everything clicks? It cares nothing for today. It’s a devastating myth, promising happiness in some far-off victory. No one can justify it, because the voice driving it is toxic, deceptive.
We think the fix is to change that voice, but fighting it leaves us drained, defeated. So, we live like we’ll get another chance at this. We treat relationships like tools, steppingstones to the next goal. You rush out the door, barely glancing at your child, calling over your shoulder, “Don’t forget your lunch.” Your partner’s gone, your last words a quick, “You’re taking Will to soccer tonight, don’t forget. I’m working late.” Just another task, another need.
You reach your workspace, sigh, thinking you’ve shut the chaos out. You’re ready for your day, fueled by highs of progress and lows of pressure. But the meaning of your life slips past. The clock keeps ticking. The drive to succeed, to be appreciated, to feel worthy and seen? It’s the myth that the wrong voice sells you. Don’t take my word for it.
Napoleon Hill exposed it in one of his books published 70 years after it was written. So controversial to his wife she held it back until they were both gone. This isn’t new wisdom. Ancient Greek mystics like Parmenides and Empedocles, long before Christianity, saw how easily we’re deceived, chasing illusions over what’s real.
Success isn’t in big awards, fancy cars, or dream vacations. It’s in the quiet moments of connection: locking eyes with your partner through a tough talk, hearing your teenager’s heart when it’s messy, bending down to meet your toddler’s desperate need to be seen. She’s dying for you to see her, just as you’re still dying to be seen, and that human cycle rolls on.
When that false voice leads, loss hits harder. Grief, disappointment, betrayal become unbearable. We don’t grow stronger; we grow fragile, afraid. The regret creeps in, the kind you feel coming but don’t face. There are real answers to break this cycle, ways to become resilient, warm, fiercely alive. Start with these three steps to reclaim your days:
1. Make soft eye contact with your loved ones; don’t rush your goodbyes. That brief pause, that gentle gaze, anchors you in a connection that outlasts any agenda.
2. Remind yourself that all the peace you need is within you. The world doesn’t dictate your power to be deeply grateful in any moment. It’s not about things or accomplishments; it’s about meaningful awareness of what you have right now.
3. Check in and ground yourself regularly through your day. Be present in your body. Take a breath. Look around. You’re doing your best, and that pulls you back to now.
As entrepreneurial women with thriving businesses and bold careers, we owe it to ourselves to ask the hard questions and find the answers that light the way. Don’t let regret write your story.
