Bronnie Ware, the woman who had worked for many years in a hospice, compiled a list of the major regrets people have when approaching the very edge of life. Her duty is to relieve the condition of dying patients, with whom she spends their last days and hours.
In the goddamn age of total employment and life on the run, we all make the same mistake – we yield to the pressure of obligations. And then regret it.
Too much work, too little rest, too superficial friends, and we are too eager to change our own self and try to become what we are not. Can you recall the last time when you left for home in time or when you spent a weekend having rest and relaxing with friends?
Maybe, you think of yourself as an important and necessary professional, but sooner or later it will have an impact on your perception of the world, and on the effectiveness on the job.
This material contains the regrets of the people, who had just a few days and maybe even minutes to live.
Read it and think: can you possibly be missing anything important?
1. I regret that I did not have the courage to live the life that was right for me, and not the life that others expected of me
This is the most common regret among people. When people realize that their life is almost over, they can easily look back and see what dreams of theirs were not realized. Most people hardly even attempted to realize a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it only happened because of the decisions they took or did not take.
It is important to try to implement at least some of your basic desires for your life path. From the moment when you lose your health, it is already too late to do something. Health brings the freedom that very few are aware of until they lose it.
2. I wish I had not worked so hard & so much
Every male patient whom she took care of had this feeling. They missed their youth and their relationships. Some women also expressed regrets. All the men, with whom Bronnie worked, deeply regretted that they had spent most of their life on the monotonous work aimed at making a living.
By simplifying your lifestyle, you can reduce the income requirements that you think you need. Creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new possibilities.
3. I wish I had had the courage to express my feelings
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to maintain certain relationships with others. As a result, they reconciled with a mediocre existence and never became the people they would like to be. The emergence of many diseases was associated with the feelings of bitterness and resentment.
4. I wish I had kept in touch with my friends
Such people often failed to realize all the benefits of keeping in touch with old friends. Later, when they had nothing but a few weeks left before death, they often had no possibility to find their friends. Many people were so immersed in their own lives that they had not admitted any friendship for many years. There was a lot of deep regret that the friendship had not been given as much time and effort as this friendship deserved. Everyone misses friends when they die.
Any person having an active lifestyle tends to underestimate the importance of friendship. But when you stand on the verge of death, the material aspects of life lose their meaning.
5. I regret not allowing myself to be happier
This kind of regret was surprisingly common. Many people do not fully understand that their happiness is a matter of choice. They are often subject to the prevailing habits and beliefs. They are in the captivity of their comfort zone and the traditional way of life. Because of fear of change, they pretend being satisfied with their life and prefer to demonstrate this to others and to themselves.
