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5 Things You Will Regret On Your Deathbed

This might change the way you live your life

Photo by Ron Szalata on Unsplash

Picture this:

You are 82 years old, lying in a hospital, and being ventilated. All your relatives visit you one more time because they know what you know: you don’t have much time left.

You will never get out of this bed again. This is your deathbed.

As it is almost over, it is time to look back on your life. There will probably be great memories, and achievements you are proud of, but also some regrets.

What are the things that really matter at the end of the day? Or at the end of life?

Photo by Olga Kononenko on Unsplash

Bronnie Ware is a 55-year-old Australian who worked for many years as a nurse in the palliative care unit of a hospital. She accompanied a ton of people as they died and discovered that dying people regret the same things over and over again.

She shared these insights in her incredibly successful book.

Let’s take a look at the 5 most common regrets.

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

From a young age, we are all pushed in certain directions by the expectations of our parents, grandparents, friends, and teachers. Many of us are taught that the traditional career path of school, university, and a secure job is the only responsible thing to do.

But unfortunately, many passions and dreams are abandoned along the way to meet the expectations of the people around us.

Of course, this doesn’t just apply to your career. If you make important life decisions only to meet the expectations of others and fail to live up to your own goals and dreams, you will regret it.

Photo by Charles DeLoye on Unsplash

2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.

Take it easy. With all the hard work, we must not forget to enjoy life.

After all, at some point, it’s over. And wonderful memories are probably worth more than a few dollars in the bank account that you can’t take with you anyway.

3. I wish I had the courage to express my feelings.

I can understand this point very well. I also often find it difficult to express my feelings.

Tell your loved ones that you love them. Thank them. Say that you are proud of them.

Because one day you might regret that you never did.

Photo by Kadyn Pierce on Unsplash

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Losing touch with old friends sucks.

Use this article as an opportunity to call or send a message to your old school friend.

Otherwise, you might regret it one day.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

We must learn to be happy today. No matter what we have not yet achieved.

I know it too well.

Striving for something should not be a contract with yourself to be happy only when you have achieved it. That almost never works. Because most of the time you already have a new goal that you think will make you happy.

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

Final Thoughts

“I wish I had a faster car” or “ I wish I had a better title or a better degree” are not on this list.

I guess that shows what really counts in life.

Meaningful relationships and being fulfilled.

This got me thinking. Maybe many of us are chasing after the wrong things all day long.

Furthermore, these 5 regrets show that the saying is true. We only regret the things we did not do.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” — Mark Twain

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