Nostalgia and regret are pointless. So why can’t I shake them? Adrian Chiles explores this question after hearing from Professor Jonathan Shalit OBE, an eminent talent agent and manager, who shared his secret to staying relevant in the ever-changing world of show business. Shalit revealed that he would end any meeting where someone said things like “The business isn’t what it was” or “Things aren’t like how they were.”
Chiles admires this approach, noting that it is far better to stay positive and focused on the present rather than lamenting a past that may not have been any better. Yet he admits his own mindset is the opposite. He struggles with regret, especially when playing golf, where he cannot let go of bad shots from the past. Even during his backswing, memories of previous mistakes flood his mind, making it impossible to imagine a positive outcome.
Determined to change, Chiles vows to adopt Shalit’s philosophy. However, he recounts a recent trip to Heathrow’s Terminal Three to pick up his daughter, which was a frustrating experience: crowded, shabby, chaotic, with expensive coffee and parking. He couldn’t help but compare it to the terminal’s magnificent refurbishment in the early 1990s, sparking nostalgia. Chiles concludes that while such thinking is natural, it is ultimately unproductive, and he aims to live more in the present.
Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster, writer and Guardian columnist.
