Dr. Ellen Langer, Harvard's renowned 'Mother of Mindfulness' was recently on the Rich Roll podcast. One theme she posed struck me:

Rather than waste your time being stressed about making the right decision, make the decision right.

With the abundance of choices we are offered in everyday life, it's no wonder we often face analysis paralysis.

But there's no such thing as the "Right" decision.

There's no way of knowing that Option B would have been worse, better, or the same. That's why regret is so mindless; you're presuming the choice you didn't take would have been better.

I often think about the Cormac McCarthy line:

"You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from."

No matter what option you choose - which college you attend, which job offer you accept, etc. - your efforts to support its success will be far more important than the initial guesswork that led to your choice.

It’s what happens next (in the days, months, and years that follow) that ultimately determines whether a given decision was “right.” While randomness plays a role in every outcome, our locus of control resides in our day-to-day activities more than in our one-time decisions.

Instead of regretting your decision, pour your effort into creating an alternative, superior outcome.