I’d like to be one of those people who can say they have no regrets about anything in their lives. I really would.

Unfortunately, I do have regrets.

And every single one of them are times when I lost my temper.

Now, growing up in an Italian household, lost tempers were just par for the course. Emotions always ran high and extreme because… I guess we feel passionate about life? But even in those situations, I still regret it.

There’s a time to be angry, and anger can certainly be used as a fuel to take charge, but to completely fly off the handle never ends with me thinking, “I’m glad I did that because it got a desired outcome.”

Sometimes, they would be over the most menial of things, and the shame of those outbursts afterward would have me shaking my head for days on end. Not once, could I have stopped and taken a breath?

It’s taken an active and conscientious effort to undo this programming, which is still years away from where it needs to be, but I keep going because I don’t want to live with any more regrets. With whatever time I have left, I want to keep going and enjoying every step along the way.

Even if they’re tough.