I guess many of us have lived a life where we have made mistakes and seen many of our dreams turn to dust.
A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams. John Barrymore
We will all go through a period of endless questioning and evaluation of how we have lived life thus far assessing our life to date. Many doing this will feel a bitter sense of disappointment, futility, and sadness about how life has turned out.
I am someone who will not waste my precious time looking back at the mistakes I’ve made regretting the choices and decisions I made, or beating myself up for the bad things that I’ve done. Instead I’ll look to both the future and this very moment to ensure I make the most out of every second I have remaining. I will be driven by my dreams and the legacy I want to leave, because I know it is never too late to live a remarkable life.
Why would anyone accept that by the time they reach the end of their life, they will look back on all the years that have passed and think of what might have been? Instead they should decide to do everything in their power, right now in the moment, to remove any chance of future regret.
I’ve made my share of mistakes throughout my life, and I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve done things in my life that I’m not proud of. As I grow older, I have a choice to live with regret or to seek opportunities and do something special with my life. Choosing the second gives me excitement about my future not counting down the miserable days I have left. The idea of living life to the fullest gives me a zest that I haven’t felt for a long time.
Life is too short to not pursue your dreams. Someday your life will near its end and all you will be able to do is look backwards. You can reflect with either happiness or regret. Which are you going to choose?
Working too hard, missing out on your child’s upbringing and not saying ‘I love you’ are often at the top of the chart of life regrets. Unsurprisingly, not following your dreams is also something many people regret. But it’s all too easy to look back on your life in hindsight. Instead take steps that prevent you from living a life full of regrets. Realize you’re not a victim in life. No one has command over your life more than you do. Use that power you have, to create a life that you’re excited about. A life that you love.
If you want to live a life free of regrets then simply decide what you really want and go out and get it. Continue striving, pushing, working and driving until you get what you want in your life. Don’t let anything or anyone hold you back.
This is the time for you to think about what you would like to do before you die.
What would you love to do, that you have not had to chance to do yet? It could be people who you would like to meet or see, a place in the country (or the world) that you have always wanted to visit, an event that you have always wanted to go to, but never managed to arrange. What would you do if you could?
Create your own personal dream list. Let your mind float freely. Imagine that you have no limitations. Imagine that you have all the time, all the money, all the resources, all the intelligence, all the education, all the experience, and all the contacts in the world. Imagine that you could do, be, or have anything in your life. Write down everything you would want in your life if you had no limitations whatsoever on your potential. Don’t fall into the trap of limiting yourself in advance by thinking of all the reasons why it’s not possible before you even begin writing. Just allow yourself to dream.
10 THINGS I WANT BEFORE I DIE
Create a list of material things that you would like to have in life. Be sure to remember that material things do not necessarily make anybody happy.
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE I DIE
Create a list of 25 things you want to do in your life before you die. Do you want to learn how to do something? Be creative. Write it down even if you think it could never happen.
10 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE I DIE
Create a list of 25 places you would like to see in your life before you die.
10 WAYS I CAN MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE
Create a list of things that you could do to contribute towards making this world a better place.
Whatever you have listed above can be achieved by you. It takes planning, hard work and persistence, but knowing what you strive for will ensure you get to tick off one by one so you don’t end up living with regret.
