Toss Away the ‘Could Haves’ and ‘Should Haves’ Day is celebrated across the United States on the third Saturday in July. This year, it falls on July 19 .This day was created by author and motivational speaker Martha J. Ross-Rodgers to encourage people to let go of the past and live in the present. To celebrate, get a piece of paper and a pen, jot down your regrets and then toss it out or burn it. Make a resolution not to live in the past. Your best years are ahead of you, so why give up now?
Toss Away the ‘Could Haves’ and ‘Should Haves’ Day has to be one of the longest holiday names out there. The length of the name, however, masks a very simple message: don’t dwell on the things you cannot control.
Your ‘could haves’ and ‘should haves’ could take any form. It could be thinking about missed opportunities or broken relationships and wishful thinking about things you wish you had. This observance aims to encourage everyone to focus on the things that matter. You must prioritize the present and be optimistic about the future. Spend less time asking yourself questions like “why did I do that?”. Altering the past is firmly out of our control, so we must focus on the here and now. Wasting time on regrets will accomplish nothing. The idea is to live life to the fullest to have no regrets when it ends.
Today is the day to collect all of the past ‘could haves’ and ‘should haves’ and dump them in the garbage. After that, put the past behind you and embrace life to the fullest. Whenever this holiday comes calling on the third Saturday in July, that’s all it is telling you to do. Martha J. Ross-Rodgers invented this holiday several years ago. She is a motivational speaker and author who focuses on assisting people in living in the now and realizing their full potential.
