Was it really a waste?

Some things are meant to shape you, not stay with you.

“I’m so stupid.”
“I should’ve seen it coming.”
“Why didn’t I say something sooner?”
“What a waste of time.”
“How didn’t I notice?”
“I should’ve known better.”

We’ve all been there. Something doesn’t work out the way we hoped, and regret rushes in.

I think about this a lot: if something once felt good but eventually ended, would it have been better if it never happened at all?

When do we decide something was a mistake? Is it when the bad outweighs the good? And if so, how do we even measure that?

Let’s say the job, the relationship, the trip — whatever it was — gave you joy, laughter, connection, money, purpose. But then it ended with frustration or loss. Was it still a mistake?

I’m not sure there’s a clear answer.

But here’s what I come back to: if you showed up, felt something real, gave it a shot, did your best… then it wasn’t a waste. It wasn’t failure.

You trusted someone who didn’t deserve it.
You stayed too long.
You moved somewhere that didn’t fit.
You chased something that never fully landed.

That doesn’t mean you were wrong to try.

It means you were living.

It was a chapter. A stretch of time. A necessary detour.

We risk. We try. We get it wrong sometimes.

And when it ends, we hurt. Then we learn.

Not everything is supposed to last. Some things are just supposed to… happen.

So instead of asking, “Was it worth it?”, try asking:

What did it give me?

What did it show me?

What did it wake up in me?

What won’t I accept again because of it?

You didn’t waste time. You gathered experience. You’ll do it again. That’s what a life is.

Okay, go do something delightful now! I’ll be in your inbox again on Monday.

Some links before I let you go:

My latest podcast episode called “That’s just who I am… right?”

My latest YouTube video called “a slow day in nature to soothe your mind 🌲📖”

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:)

Huggies

Lana