The end result (“I missed out on an opportunity”) might be the same, but the process matters. There’s a meaningful difference between, e.g., “having a breakdown and sending a long obscenity-filled rant-text to your former boss who then talks to your current boss and has you fired” and “not following up on an opportunity because you thought you had a better opportunity but you were probably wrong.”
Time’s arrow goes only one way, my friend. Once it’s gone you can’t get it back, same as if you lit it on fire.
The end result (“I missed out on an opportunity”) might be the same, but the process matters. There’s a meaningful difference between, e.g., “having a breakdown and sending a long obscenity-filled rant-text to your former boss who then talks to your current boss and has you fired” and “not following up on an opportunity because you thought you had a better opportunity but you were probably wrong.”