If Only I Had Found This Book Sooner! :-)

I'm reading a fascinating book on counterfactual thinking, otherwise known as the "if only" thought process. The book is If Only: How to Turn Regret into Opportunity by Neal Roese. It is written in a conversational and easy-to-understand style, yet at the same time introduces the reader to some important concepts and revelatory research.

We all engage in counterfactual thinking, especially when something goes wrong. We play out "if only" scenarios in our head that, unchecked, can turn into an ever-playing, haunting loop of thoughts. "If only I hadn't gone to the store at six o'clock, I wouldn't have been in a car accident..."  "If only I had finished college ..."  "If only I had known that she needed me to stop by ...."

Marie D. Jones has written an informative review of If Only that you can read here.  I am only half-way through the book, but I already know that I will read it more than this one time and can already see ways in which it is helping me think more clearly and productively. I highly recommend it!