If you could go back in time and had a second chance at life, what would you do differently? What do you regret from your past that you would change in the future if you had the power to do so?
Most people live a life of regret and when they reflect and look back on their lives they realize the things that they should and would have done differently. The most common regrets – according to a palliative care nurse who spent several years working with patients in their final weeks of life – are that they wish they’d experienced more, listened more, hadn’t been so afraid to fail, stood up for themselves more and hadn’t waited so long.
Whatever the case may be for you, it is important to take a good hard look at how you are living your life right now and figure out how you can avoid regrets in the future. While everybody is different and many mistakes are avoidable, there are a few things we should all keep in mind to live a life without regrets.
Here are our TOP 10 ways to avoid regrets later in life.
#1 Follow Your Own Dreams
A lot of us are living other people’s dreams like our parents’ dreams for us or helping our boss to achieve his or her dream. However, we all have dreams and we should always endeavor to follow our own dreams no matter what others may think, because the pain of not fulfilling our own dreams is more severe than any disappointment that we may have to endure along the way. Do yourself a favor and follow your own dreams no matter what because you have to live your own life and stop living it for others.
#2 Don’t Take Your Loved Ones for Granted
The people who are closest to us won’t be around forever. Whether that’s our parents, our children or our closest friends. So make it a point to spend as much time as you can with your loved ones and don’t take them for granted. Appreciate them while you can and show them how much they mean to you. No-one ever said, I wish I would have worked more, but a lot of people regret not spending enough quality time with the people they love.
#3 Be Yourself
While society as well as our circle of friends and family expect us to act in a certain way, it is detrimental to not change who you are in order to fit in and be liked. Stop wasting your time pretending to be someone you are not just to be accepted. Be yourself and you will attract the right people into your life who love you for who you are and will support you in living the life of your dreams. Keep in mind, you are the most comfortable when you are yourself, so stop pretending and be who you are.
#4 Live in the Moment
This very moment is all we ever have, so don’t get caught up in the mad rush of our modern day living and enjoy the little moments that make life so satisfying and worth living it. Learn to appreciate the present moment, live it fully and enjoy the people and surroundings every minute of every day. Remember when you were a child, you were totally engrossed in the present moment, but as adults, we are always thinking about our next move, our next idea or our next business. Stop for a moment and take the time to experience the now, because if you don’t you will one day look into the mirror and ask yourself where the time went.
#5 Stand Up for Yourself
A lot of people regret not standing up for themselves when they had the opportunity. Be sure not to let others take you for granted and don’t ever stand by and watch passively when injustice takes place. Stand up for yourself and for others. Be brave and stand up for what’s right, because when you look back at your life, you will take pride that you actively participated in the world and made things better for yourself and those around you.
#6 Make Health and Wellness a Priority
Your health is your life, don’t ever take it for granted, because you can have all the riches in the world, but if you don’t have your health, it is worth nothing. Make sure to make self-care a priority, eat right, exercise regularly, sleep well and get regular check-ups to make sure that you can enjoy life to the fullest. Keep in mind, when you make health and wellness a priority, you have the energy to take on any problem that may come your way, but if you aren’t feeling well, difficult situations can turn into a disaster quickly.
#7 Don’t Wait!
There is no time like the present and if you have a dream right now, don’t wait, but chase it right now. Put it on the calendar and make it a non-negotiable. If there is someone you like, let them know immediately, because you don’t know if you will get another chance. If there is a business opportunity, jump on it right now, because otherwise someone else will snatch it away. Don’t wait for the perfect time, the perfect circumstances, the perfect combination of resources, people and environment. The perfect moment is right now, don’t let it pass you by.
#8 Choose Extraordinary
Each and every day offers you an opportunity to live an extraordinary life. Keep in mind, it doesn’t matter where you start from, all that matters is that you start. Stop wasting your time and energy regretting something that you wish you would have done or things that should have been different. Allow yourself to be fully human, engage deeply with your life. Keep in mind, ordinary people only see what’s possible, but extraordinary people dream the impossible and make it a reality. So choose extraordinary and live an extraordinary life every single day.
#9 Don’t Fear Failure
Be bold and dare and don’t be afraid to take a risk and potentially fail. People on their death beds always regret not taking chances in life and not following their dreams and do what they always wanted to do. So what if you make a mistake or fail. You get up again, dust yourself off and try again, though this time a little bit smarter and a little bit wiser. Failure is not the problem, but not even trying is a crime.
#10 Be Willing to Let Go
Sometimes we have to find the strength to let go, even if it is the hardest thing you’ll ever do. Have the courage to let go and remember that letting go has nothing to do with giving up. It’s the willingness to recognize that enough is enough and it’s time to move on and take a new path that will lead you to bigger and better things.
Remember that famous quote: ‘I don’t regret the things I’ve done, I regret the things I didn’t do when I had the chance.’ Life isn’t always smooth sailing and we all get hurt sometimes, lose loved ones and experience things that are beyond repair, but it is important to keep in mind that every day brings a fresh new start that is filled will new opportunities and possibilities.
WHAT DOES YOUR IDEAL LIFE LOOK LIKE?
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked
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