One of the hallmarks of a good non-fiction author is whether s/he can write a book whose message stays with you. In other words, no author sets out to write a forgettable text. The same holds true for bands, artists, filmmakers, and other creative types, but I’ll stick with scribes here.
By this standard, Dan Pink stands out. The messages of his books resonate with countless readers, including me. In my case, they have inspired long blog posts, sometimes years after I’ve read them.
Pink’s most recent text is The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward. In it, he delineates among the four different types of regret:
- Foundation regrets: These rock our need for some level of stability. Examples here include failure to be responsible, conscientious, and prudent.
- Boldness regrets: We are much more likely to regret the chances we didn’t take than the chances we did, especially as we age.
- Moral regrets: These are decisions in which we took the low road. Pink’s book is full of gripping tales of infidelity, violence, and dishonesty.
- Connection regrets: These arise when we neglect the people who help establish our sense of wholeness. People give our lives purpose.
I’ll focus here on the second bucket.
Boldness Regrets
The regret of inaction often weighs far more heavily on us than the regret of action.
We’re more likely to experience these types of regrets as we get older. In our 60s and 70s, we simply don’t have as much time to start a small business, quit a job that we hate, change careers, or write a book. You won’t find many fifty-somethings getting their PhDs.
Of course, that’s not to say that finally writing that book won’t result in a regret or six. Maybe the book’s quality and presentation suffered because you foolishly thought that you could do everything yourself. For many folks, however, the regret of inaction weighs far more heavily on them than the regret of action.
Does that describe you? If so, and you finally want to write that book, we should chat.
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