I really hope I am not that guy. I want to embrace the 'now' as much as possible and when I die, look back with a smile and a heart free of regret. But it's so easy to be saying the statement above one moment and then falling back into the grind of things like living to work the next.
It has to be said this subject absolutely fascinates me. Wouldn't it be great to sit down with your Grandparents and ask them all of the questions you can think of? I think it would! Just think of the insights and knowledge. And yet very few of us do this, we are either too busy (that old chestnut), too arrogant (I know best and I want to do it my way), or just so absorbed with things that the thought doesn't even cross our mind.
With all the talks, books, blog articles and infographics I have seen and read on 'regrets of the dying', without question there is a positive and consistent truth - pretty much all of the top regrets are fixable. That is to say pull your finger out now and do something about it before your regrets make up just another stat of another broken dream.
Below are a few inspirational articles, talks, quotes and infographics that I find interesting and help me focus on goals and basically live a better life rid of regret as much as possible.
QUOTES
I have to say, I am a bit of a sucker for quotes, I love them!
One of my favourite quotes is a very short and profound one by the Dalia Lama that I talked about in a previous post
"The Dalai Lama was asked what surprised him the most, he said, "Man, because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present, the result being that he does not live in the present or the future, he lives as if he is never going to die, and then he dies having never really lived."
Quote images taken from my 'Cool Quotes' board on PINTEREST
TED Talk
Fascinating TED Talk by Jane Mcgonigal that discusses her research of regrets of the dying, how trauma patients can and do completely redefine their lives. Jane also discusses her own experience of feeling suicidal and how she strove to create a game that would help her and others get better.
What I found interesting in this talk is that we often think about Post Traumatic Stress, but there are many people who live through a major trauma with a refreshed passion for life. Their goals get completely redefined and are interestingly often the opposites of the top regrets of the dying. Go figure aye! It got me thinking, what if I could tap into this and focus my goals without (a) having to die shortly and (b) suffering a trauma. I believe we all can do this.
45 Life Lessons from a 90 year old
This is a truly great and insightful article by Kangalex.com showing 45 short life lessons from a 90 year old. I would say they know a few things!
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short not to enjoy it.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.
5. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for things that matter.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye… But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words, ‘In five years, will this matter?’
27. Always choose Life.
28. Forgive but don’t forget.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give Time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have, not what you think you need.
42. The best is yet to come…
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.
Infographic: Top 10 Regrets in Life
This is a great infographic taken from Addicted to Success which graphically shows the top 10 regrets in life by patients that are at the end of theirs.
What do you think? Are you living your life to the full? If you were to write your own arbitrary would there be regrets and 'what ifs'....? I think if the answer is yes then you need to refocus on what is actually important, learn as much as you can from people who have lived longer than you, re-energise, and live your life to the max.
A very profound and uplifting read, thanks :)an awesome blog.
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