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.