How To Have No Regrets In Life

Choosing the safe and easy path usually leads to more regrets in life

Theres an old saying, “In the cave you fear lies the treasure you seek.” 90 percent of regrets come from not taking action when you know you should. So let’s focus on avoiding those regrets, the regrets that come from the unknown of what could have been.

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON REGRETS

I’ve met with so many different senior citizens and want to share some of the most common regrets they’ve shared with me.

Not asking out your crush
Maybe they’ll be the one, maybe not but as long as you try you’ll have no regrets. Don’t be left thinking about what could’ve been.

Not taking new job opportunities
Whether you believe you can or you cannot, you are right. Being the new person and having to learn the ropes is scary, but if you don’t try you’ll never know what opportunities are waiting for you.

Not making time to travel
You can make the money back but time is always running out. Most people have weeks of unused vacation time just piling up. Make use of your hard earned time off and take that bucket list trip!

Prioritizing work over family
Bosses, co-workers, and clients all come and go, you may even change jobs multiple times. Remember what’s important is the people you come home to everyday, they are the ones that are truly there for you and they will need you to be there for them! One thing you will NEVER regret is prioritizing time with family.

Missing important moments with children
Your children will need you more than anyone else in the world. Be there for them when it counts, childhood doesn’t last long but it builds the foundation for the rest of their lives.

Letting friendships fizzle out
As you get older it becomes more and more difficult to make time for friends. Life gets busy and responsibilities pile up. But with technology now there should be no excuse for losing contact. Reach out to those you care about, even small gestures like a text or phone call will keep the relationship alive.

Worrying about what others think of you
If you let the opinion of others prevent you from following your passion and being yourself then you only have yourself to blame. Truthfully most people are so caught up in their own lives they are not even paying attention to you anyway, so do what makes you happy and ignore the opinions of others.

Not taking care of your health
Time is impossible to get back, and your health is nearly impossible. Prioritize your health while you are young and able, it will make life much easier as you age.

Over-stressing small matters
Stress is a leading cause of disease in the US. It can have severe health and mental impacts, but truthfully most of the things we stress over really aren’t important. Ask yourself, will this matter tomorrow, or next week, or next year? If not then let it go.

Not following your passion
We are all here for a reason and it’s your job to find out why. Most people never even answer that question, let alone spend time pursuing their passion. If you find a passion and pursue it, success is inevitable.

Live every day with purpose, be intentional with your actions, and do what scares you! Life works in mysterious ways, and doing what scares you most, taking big (yet calculated) risks will often lead to your biggest dreams coming true. It’s normal to be scared of change and the unknown that will come from it; whether you want to start a business, try out for a sports team, make new friends, or go somewhere new. I can tell you with near certainty that you will be a better person for facing your fear and going after what you want in life.

Do things that are difficult! One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that doing what’s hard actually makes life easier. Exercising is hard but it makes you happier and healthier, keeping your body active will make your life much easier as you age. Saving money is hard but the more you save the less you stress and the more opportunities you have. Do things that are easy and life becomes hard, do things that are hard and life becomes easy.

The common theme of regret here is not doing the things that scare you, or the things that may seem difficult. Choosing the safe and easy path usually leads to more regrets in life. At the end of your life you should be able to look back and say you gave it your best shot.