Imagine a tree, with all of its branches. If you start at the base of the trunk, there is only one choice for direction: up. However, as you climb up the trunk, you get to a point where the tree branches of into two or more directions. How do you choose which way to go? Right after you make a decision and set along your course, you get to another point where you must make another decision. This continues several times until you finally reach the end of a tiny little branch that no longer branches off. However, you can choose to back track a little and maybe try a different path. You can't change the fact that you went left the first time, but you can go back and go right the next time. So, you can't actually "go back" and change your initial decision, but you can adjust your decision based on the new knowledge that you didn't really like where you were at the end of that branch.
I think this relates to life a lot. You can't go back in time and change the decisions you made, but you can make better decisions for the future. Say you're choosing between two career options. You may find you don't like the one you chose, but that doesn't mean you can't decide to pursue the other one later down the road. Yes, it may be harder later on, but it is still possible. And in some ways it is easier later in life to make those changes because you have so much more knowledge. You have lived experiences, and you are able to analyze what you actually need/want more. Nothing is ever set in stone. Just because you made mistakes in the past doesn't mean you can't make up for them in the future. Sure, you can't go back to 1982 and stop yourself from smoking that first cigarette, but you can work towards stopping that habit now to have a healthier future. Sure, you can't go back and make yourself go straight to a 4 year college right out of high school, but you can still go back to school now. These are all just random examples of things people "regret" but if you regret something, that just tells you that you learned a lesson, and you know how to make better decisions for the future. Sometimes I think I regret dating people from the past, but then I realize that all of those terrible relationships taught me how to have a wonderful relationship with my wife. Sometimes I regret not sticking to one sport when I was younger, but then I realize that I got to try so many and have so many great experiences. I would have had a completely different life if I stayed on the soccer team. Does anyone really want a completely different life? A life without your friends, without your partner, without your kids? Because you may have never met certain people if it wasn't for the decisions you made and the path you took. Sometimes I regret getting rid of a lot of my stuff to move to Alaska, only to come back two months later and have practically nothing. But it taught me to cherish what I have, and to think about things deeper before making swift decisions that may impact my future.
Overall, everything happens for a reason, and there is always something to learn from every situation. Every person you encounter has something to teach you, about yourself, about society, about the world around you. Every decision you have ever made has led you to where you are right now, but that doesn't mean you can't take a different path from here on out. It doesn't mean you made a bad decision. The only bad decision is the decision not to learn from your experiences. Nothing is a mistake, just a learned lesson on what not to do. Edison didn't fail at making the lightbulb 1,000 times, it was just an invention with 1,000 steps. Each attempt taught him something to help get to the final product. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't worry so much about messing up. Don't worry about making the wrong decision. Just make a decision, and be open to learning from that experience in case you need to make changes in the future. Life is just a journey up a tree. Don't waste time down at the bottom deciding where to go. Just pick a branch and be ready to turn around and try another one if you don't like the view at the end.
