How to frame regret on-air

Inspiration for this week’s post comes from Trevor Noah’s memoir, Born a Crime. The audiobook is particularly entertaining because of the stories about growing up in South Africa and his ability to mimic other people in his life, like his mother. And then he said these wise words, and I thought, I have to share them!

I don’t regret anything I’ve ever done in life...but I’m consumed with regret for the things I didn’t do, the choices I didn’t make, the things I didn’t say. 

We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection. But regret is the thing we should fear most. 

Failure is an answer. Rejection is an answer. 

Regret is an eternal question you will never have the answer to. What if... If only… I wonder what would have… You will never, ever, know and it will haunt you for the rest of your days. 

Regret is also a good emotion for on-air stories. Ask yourself when you are in prep mode: What have I done lately that I regret? What did I say that I wish I hadn’t, what didn’t I say that I wish I had? What did I do that I wish I had avoided? What didn’t I do that I wish I had? You will tap into relatable, honest stories that are loaded with emotion.