Reading Corner: The Power of Regret by Daniel H. Pink

By João Ferreira Apr 23, 2024 Books 0 Comments

Starting a reading corner on my blog last year was a great idea, and even though I took a little break, I’m back! Today, I want to talk about a book that really made me think: “The Power of Regret” by Daniel H. Pink.

Daniel H. Pink is a pretty well-known author. He’s written some bestsellers like “Drive” and “When”, and he’s got a knack for digging into what makes us tick. Before he became a writer, he did some interesting stuff like writing speeches for Vice President Al Gore.

Now, about his book The Power of Regret. It’s all about busting the myth that we should live without regrets. Pink says that’s not just hard to do, it’s actually not very helpful. Adhering to this mantra means missing out on significant opportunities for growth and learning from our past actions.

He did this huge survey all over the world and found out that our regrets can be sorted into four buckets: Foundation, Boldness, Moral, and Connection.

• Foundation regrets are about wishing we’d been more responsible or planned better.
• Boldness regrets are those “what if” moments when we didn’t take a chance.
• Moral regrets hit us when we feel like we’ve done something wrong.
• Connection regrets are about relationships and people we’ve lost touch with.

The cool thing is, Pink doesn’t just leave us hanging with our regrets. He gives us ways to deal with them so we can learn and move on and use them to improve our personal and work life. He’s saying it’s okay to have regrets; what matters is what you do next.

View on Amazon

No Regrets: How to Take Risks in Your Communication, Relationships, and Career

So, if you’re looking for a book that gets you thinking about life’s “should haves” and “could haves,” this might be the one. It’s not about feeling bad about the past; it’s about making the most of the future.

To complement the insights gained from reading Dan Pink’s The Power of Regret, How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward, I recommend listening to an episode from the podcast “Think Fast, Talk Smart” titled “No Regrets: How to Take Risks in Your Communication, Relationships, and Career”.

In this episode, you’ll find a deep dive into the themes of risk-taking and leadership. Matt Abrahams engages with Pink in a thought-provoking discussion that aligns perfectly with the book’s message about learning from past actions and embracing opportunities for growth. This particular episode aired on May 30, 2023, and it’s a valuable resource for anyone looking to enhance their communication skills and decision-making processes.