Is it good to keep track of paths not taken?
Sometimes I get distract wondering about some of the paths I didn’t go down, or big decision points:
- applying to economics phd programs — because I might have gone and my life probably be quite different.
- choosing one rental over another in 2019 — because my daily community would have been really different during 2020.
- pacing better in my second marathon — because I think I would’ve qualified and run Boston in 2023, instead of missing out on 2024 when the cutoff standard was so high.
- choosing different jobs — for example, one that would have led to a totally different industry.
I’m not sure it’s actually good to think about all of these. Definitely not too much; I can get distracted wondering about “what if”.
Regret without learning isn’t helpful.
Something I’ve noticed is just how many pivot points there are. So many! Looking back I usually notice 2 or 3 big decision points each year. Some felt really small at the time.
So, I think I shouldn’t take any individual “big decision” too seriously — it’s not actually that big if there’s multiple of these per year, and you don’t always know which ones really matter.
Point is, don’t overthink it?