The Top Five Regrets

In their last moments, people often think about what they could have done differently with their life. What are the most common regrets?

Bronnie Ware has written a book named The Top Five Regrets of Dying, in which she has compiled a list of the top regrets expressed by people on their deathbed.

She should know as she has spent several years nursing the patients on their deathbed.

For me, this list is really an inspiring wake up call to live my life differently now! Thanks Bronnie for coming up with it. 

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

When we realize that our life is almost over and look back on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most of us do not honor even a half of our dreams due to choices we have made, or not made.

I wish I hadn't worked so hard.

We miss our children's youth and our partner's companionship, and later on we deeply regret spending so much of our lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

We suppress our feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, we settle for a mediocre existence and never become who we are truly capable of becoming. Often we even develop  bitterness and resentment as a result.

I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

We get so caught up in our own lives that we let golden friendships slip by over the years. And then there are many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved.  

I wish that I had let myself be happier.

We do not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. We stay stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflow into our emotions, as well as our physical lives. Fear of change makes us pretend to others, and to ourselves, that we are content, when deep within, we long to laugh properly.

The Tale of Two Magic Lamps

हज़ारो ख्वाहिशे ऐसी कि हर ख्वाहिश पे दम निकले

बहुत निकले मेरे अरमान लेकिन फिर भी कम निकले

We all have an unending chain of desires, and at times we want something very badly, but cannot get it in spite of our best efforts. This makes us wonder if there is a better way to get what we want in life? We have heard story of Aladin and his magic lamp, that fulfilled all the wishes of its master. If only we could get hold of such a lamp, life would be such a fun. We will be able to get whatever we ask for. But we quickly dismiss it as fiction; such things do not happen in real life.

What if I tell you about not one but two such magic lamps that are available for you? Sounds too good to be true? Read on the tale of two magic lamps that can help you fulfill your wishes.

Magic Lamp 1: Power of Prayer

If you want something really badly, why not ask God to provide it? Nothing can be simpler and more powerful than prayer. As a child, whenever you needed something, you demanded it from your father, and he tried his best to fulfill your wish. Now, if you ask anything from the Almighty Father, will he not fulfill your wish? But make sure to state your wish as clearly as you can. If you are confused about what you want, how can someone fulfill your wish? Even the Jinn in the magic lamp needs to be told about your wish clearly. As an example, do you want your child to develop into an independent thinker, and at the same time, wish that she accepts whatever you say without any question?  What do you really want?

Are prayers answered? There is no evidence that suggests that they are not answered. If God Himself cannot fulfill your wish, who else can? In fact, there are times when God may deliberately not grant your wish as the outcome may not be good for you, and in such cases, we should learn to accept His wisdom.

Note that I am not advocating any particular religion here. You can pray as per the custom of any religion and follow any form of God, so long as you take your wish to Him in prayer. I know that many religions advocate not asking for worldly things in prayer, but if a burning desire is holding you back, why not take it to Him?

Magic Lamp 2: Power of Assertions

The method is simple. Once a day, write down fifteen times what is it that you desire. Keep on doing it and you will find that it is turning into a truth. It may take about two to six months of writing assertions before your wish is granted.

As an example, if your name is Sanjay Jain and your wish is visit Disneyland, you will write the following sentence fifteen times.

I, Sanjay Jain, will visit Disneyland.  

So simple? How do I know if it works? I read about it some years back in a book by famous cartoonist Scott Adams, and found it hard to believe it. However, just to prove it wrong, I gave it a try on a wish that was incredibly hard to achieve, and was very important for me. And to my amazement, it worked!

You must be saying now that this is the same old faith and religious stuff, and I have no idea how it works or whether it works at all. Fair enough. If you want to know if it works or not, why not try it out yourself? In the worst case, nothing happens and you do not get your wish. Then you dismiss this post and go on as usual with your life. But it is also likely that like me, you may be surprised to find that these magic lamps actually work and then all of a sudden you have added the power of two magic lamps to your life.

Now comes the question, how does it work? Frankly, I do not know. Is it important to know the answer? Take the computer that you are reading this blog on; do you have to know its internals before using it? An even simpler example is the quartz watch that you are wearing, do you have to know its working principle before you can read time on it? Do you have to be an automobile engineer with in depth knowledge of a car before you drive it? So, if you do not need to understand the insides of your computer, watch, or car to use it gainfully, why do you insist on being an expert and having the need to understand the principle behind prayer and assertions so long as these work for you?

That’s it. Enjoy your magic lamps.