Chicken-fried regrets

In a college psychology class years ago, I studied the writings of Erich Fromm, a?philosopher and social psychologist. An excerpt from one of his essays has stuck with me over the years.?

“We all have regrets and most of us know that those regrets, as excruciating as they can be, are the things that help us lead improved lives. Or, rather, there are certain regrets that, as they emerge, can accompany us on the incremental bettering of our lives. Regrets are forever floating to the surface… They require our attention. You have to do something with them.”?

I’ve had two painful regrets professionally:

1. Not being able to convince a grocery client to license a quirky song called “Chicken Fried” from a then-obscure musician named Zac Brown.?

2. Equally unsuccessful in convincing a different client to hire the Property Brothers for a tv campaign, only to see them appear in the #1 competitor’s campaign months later.

Grr.

Back to Fromm and dealing with these regrets...?

Recently, a client made a decision that I genuinely thought was a bad choice. So much so, that a few days later I called him and spent an hour persuading him to reverse course. (Thankfully, he did.) I simply didn’t want another regret hanging over me.

So while I’ll always grimace a little when I hear “Chicken Fried” on the radio or see Jonathan and Drew Scott pitching a product, I’ve turned those regrets into motivation to never give up on a great idea or something that I truly believe is right.