A lady who worked with the dying for years posted a list of the top 5 regrets she has heard from people on their deathbeds. I’m reproducing parts of the post here and hope it encourages you just as it has for me; to take action in living a life without regrets.
1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled.
2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives.
Read the full article here>>>.
What do you think?
I also was inspired by the top 5 regrets, I wrote about it on my blog too: http://elizabethyork.com/top-5-regrets-in-life-of-the-dying