If you can, believe me, death doesn’t scare or bother me, instead it’s living that leaves me breathless, giving me sleepless nights and questions which when I ask aloud, I get told I am way in over my head. But you know what that’s okay because this is who I am. There are many things that I don’t know but what I am sure of is that I want to live life regret-free. There is always something that I could have done better or chosen differently and who doesn’t? Right, mostly we all regret something. So what can we do that when we’re near our end, we can look back at our lives and smile that it was a good life, maybe not perfect but good? One to which your heart and mind would agree that this was how it should have been.
The answer lies in choosing yourself and going where your heart leads you. If you think that I am just being philosophical, then no, I share this belief with many other spiritual leaders, life coaches, psychologist. One such believer is Bronnie Ware the author of “Regrets of the dying “. She worked in palliative care taking care of people at the end of their journey and sat listening to their experience. This helped her understand life better and she compiled the top five regrets of the dying:
- I wish I’d had the courage to live true to myself, not the life others expected of me
- I wish I hadn’t worked so hard
- I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings
- I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends
- I wish that I had let myself be happier
Doesn’t it break your heart to think that we waste so much of our precious time on things and notions that are of no use to us? We knowingly make choices that make us and keep us unhappy.
Why is it so hard to accept that our life is ours. It was given to us to live as we please. Your life is your prerogative, we are an individual first. Hence you need to fulfill your responsibility to others as well as yourself. Indulge yourself, this is our only chance. If you keep denying yourself simple acts of happiness, you will not only lead an unhappy and regretful life but spread the same to others. A tree that has died from inside will neither bear fruit nor provide shade. So please be kind to yourself, love yourself.
Do things that make you happy, pursue your hobbies, stop thinking and worrying about what others will say. As long as you do not deliberately hurt or wrong someone else it is fine to make mistakes and lead your life in the direction that your heart takes you.
If you Want to pursue a different career do that, If you want to travel go now, if you want to just take time for yourself, take it, if you love someone say it, if you are hurt by someone tell them. Let it go, let it show, if you want to be silly go be silly, call your friends over and be silly together, that’s the stuff that makes for memories, that makes your life.
If you don’t want regrets taking over then simplify, keep what makes you happy, let go of what or whoever doesn’t. Be true to yourself, and you will attract all the right relationships you’ll ever need, all else will fade away.
Be brave & choose your regret-free life.