Regrets, I've had some

I don't like it when people say things like, "Live with no regrets." That just sounds ridiculous when you stop to think about it. I don't think that anyone ought to wallow in past regrets- I think we've all encountered situations with people stuck in the past; I do, however, consider it not only okay but also somewhat healthy to re-evaluate past decisions or actions. Someone who steadfastly claims to live without any regrets whatsoever is either the world's most repressed individual steeped in denial, a liar, or they're just not thinking hard enough. 

So do I have any regrets? Certainly. For example: 

• I wish I had been a better student in college. 
• I wish I'd learned when to keep my big mouth shut. 
• I wish I'd taken a photography class in college. 

And the list goes on. I don't think there's a problem that there exists such a list for my life (not that I actively keep one... that might be a bit much).

I think this is the key: that your "regrets" don't become deadweights but rather an impetus for a highly personalized list of goals for self-improvement. And here one cliche collides head-on with another: when life gives you regrets, make productive use of them. Now that's a philosophy for living.