Bronnie Ware spent many years of her life caring for those who had very little time left to live. After consoling with her patients, similar themes came up repeatedly when they were discussing their final regrets. Bonnie later published a book titled “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying”.
Talking about death can be a little scary but learning from others regrets and finding a way to improve yourself seems like a great way to start. Here are five of the top regrets of the dying:
This regret is at the top of the list because it ties in with so many others. Many people don’t realize that happiness is a state of mind and in fact, a choice. Negative thoughts can take control of your state of mind and can easily become habit forming. Being stuck in depressive thoughts can make it extremely hard to change and make positive differences in your life.
The best way to become happier is to stop projecting your negative thoughts on other people and circumstances. Learn to make the best with what you have because you will regret not taking the time to be happy when you have no more time left.
Not staying in touch with friends can lead to losing contact. When people were passing, many said they missed their friends. In the end, your achievements and income won’t mean anything if you don’t have people around you to share a laugh and your stories with. Nowadays with social media sites like Facebook, we may talk to our friends a lot but not actually see them as much. It’s never too late to call up an old friend, they will probably be glad you did.
Many people confessed to holding back or not expressing their true feelings with others in order to comply. This results in suppressed anger and frustration, causing bitterness and can lead to various diseases, leaving you emotionally damaged.
Holding in the resentment will only cause harm to those around you, including yourself. Many times it’s the thought about confronting someone about an issue which can cause conflict. However when addressing the issue in a constructive and productive way, it actually helps with understanding the situation and makes that relationship stronger.
A very frequent regret is too much time spent dedicated to work and not enough time with family and loved ones. It’s good to take pride in your work and focus on goals, however with day to day business it’s easy to get lost in your work and forget the things that are the reason why you work in the first place–to support your family and your life.
Missing the lives and milestones of children due to overworking is something a lot of people would change when reflecting back. Plan a vacation or a family trip and remember to make time for yourself and those you love and care for. These will be the memories you will want to remember when looking back.
The most common regret of all was not pursuing their dreams and goals and not staying true to themselves. When people look back on their lives, it’s easy to see unfulfilled goals and even easier to get wrapped up in what everyone else expects of you, what your parents want and what those around you are doing by ignoring what your true passions and aspirations are.
“Being healthy brings freedom very few realize until they no longer have it.” No matter how old you are it’s never too late to do what makes you happy, even though it may take some time and patience it’s worth it just to know you gave it a shot and followed your calling no matter what others my say. You can’t go wrong if you stay true to yourself, because in the end it doesn’t matter how others may view you but, but how you view yourself.
