This morning, like he has every morning for the last decade, my
86-year-old grandfather picked a fresh wild flower on his morning walk and took
it to my grandmother. This morning I decided to go with him to see
her. And as he placed the flower on her gravestone, he looked at me and
said, “I just wish I had picked her a fresh flower every morning when she was
alive. She would have loved that.”
As
you can imagine, his words touched a nerve in me. I almost immediately
started thinking about everything and everyone I care about, and what I don’t
want to regret in 40 years when I’m on the cusp of my 80’s. It almost
felt like every aspect of my life was flashing before my eyes. And as
soon as I got home, I started jotting down everything that had come to
mind. When I was done, I read the list to Angel. She nodded her
head all the way through to the end, and then said, “I couldn’t agree
more. I don’t think anyone wants to regret any of those things when
they’re older.” Perhaps you will also agree…
Stop wasting time regretting what you did a year ago.
Start doing what you have to do now, so that in a
year’s time you won’t regret what you did today.
1. Spending too little time with the right people. – Sooner or
later, you just want to be around the people who make you smile. So
today, spend time with those who help you love yourself more. And
remember, the people you take for granted today may be the only ones you need
tomorrow. Never be too busy to make time for those who matter most.
2. Not making your loved ones smile more often. – The most
beautiful thing is to see a person you love smile, and even more beautiful is
knowing that you are the reason behind it.
3. Not saying what you need to say. – Speak
up. Don’t hide your thoughts and feelings, especially when you can make a
difference. Be brave. Say what needs to be said. If you care
about someone, tell them. Hearts are sometimes broken by the words we
leave unspoken.
4. Constantly comparing yourself to everyone else. – Don’t
compare your progress in life with that of others. We all need our own
time to travel our own distance. It’s perfectly OK to be different.
Today, the only person you should try to be better than, is the person you were
yesterday. Prove yourself to yourself, not others.
5. Ignoring your intuition for too long. – Sometimes
your mind needs more time to accept what your heart already knows.
Breathe. Be a witness, not a judge. Listen to your intuition.
6. Not taking action on meaningful goals. – Instead of
complaining about your circumstances, get busy creating new ones. You
either suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. Most of the
time, the only difference between who you are and who you want to be, is what
you do.
7. Letting others talk you out of your dreams. – Can you
remember who you were before the world told you who you should be? Stop
living for other people and their opinions. Be true to YOU.
8. Vivid memories of wasted time. – There is good reason why you
should wake each morning and mindfully consider what and who you will give your
day to. Because unlike other things in life – love, money, respect, good
health, hope, opportunities, and many more – time is the one thing you can
never get back once it’s gone.
9. Collecting more excuses than you can count. – If you
really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find
an excuse.
10. Waiting, and waiting, and waiting until you’re ready. – Sometimes
life seems hard, but we often make it harder than it is. All you ever
have to decide is what to do next. It really is this simple. You don’t
have to have it all figured out to move forward. Just do the best you can
until you know better. Once you know better, do better.
11. Not putting in enough effort. – In life you are either a
passenger or a pilot, it’s your choice. If you want something, work for
it. Do what it takes, not what is easy. It will hurt. It will
take time. It will require dedication. It will require
willpower. You will need to make healthy decisions. It requires
sacrifice. You will need to push your body to its max. There will
be temptation. But, I promise you, when you reach your goal, it will be
worth it.
12. Letting solvable problems stop you. – Not
everything that’s faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it’s
faced. Problems are not stop signs, they’re guidelines. If you want
it, work for it. It’s that simple. Strength doesn’t come from what
you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you couldn’t.
13. Not taking on enough risk. – Wouldn’t you rather have a
life of “OH WELLs” than a life of “WHAT IFs”? Do what you can while you
can. Don’t be afraid to move out of your comfort zone. Some of my
best life experiences and opportunities came to me only after I dared to lose.
14. Settling for less than you are capable of. – Remember,
growth and change may be painful sometimes, but nothing in life is as painful
as staying stuck where you don’t belong.
15. Putting your own needs and happiness on the back burner. – All jokes
aside, your life only comes around once. This is IT. So do what
makes you happy and be with whoever makes you laugh, often.
16. Letting impatience govern your decisions and actions. – Patience is
not about waiting; it’s the ability to keep a good attitude while working hard
for what you believe in.
17. Giving up too soon. – Forget how many times you’ve
broken down. It’s about how you stand up and move on. You may
have to go through the worst, to get to the best. Good things take
time. Stay patient and stay positive. Everything is going to come
together; maybe not immediately, but eventually.
18. Letting someone walk all over you, ad infinitum. – Never allow
someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.
And walk away from anyone who continually robs you of peace and joy. Life
is too short to waste your time with people who abuse and bully you.
19. Not helping others when you were able. – If you have
a lot, give your wealth. If you have a little, give your heart.
Just give what you can. No one has ever become poor by giving.
20. Ignoring your roots and those who have supported you. – Never
forget where you’ve been. Never lose sight of where you’re going.
And never take for granted the people who travel the journey with you.
21. Not appreciating what you have when you have it. – We often
forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t
have, but of deeply appreciating what we do have. No, you won’t always
get exactly what you want. But remember this: There are lots of people
who will never have what you have right now.
22. Letting your health go. – Your body is the only place
you will truly ever live. If you’re lucky enough to have a body that’s in
good health, be wise enough to keep it that way.
23. Years of struggling to find happiness outside yourself. – Happiness
is not determined by what’s happening around you, but rather what’s happening
inside you. Too many people depend on others, or outside sources, to gain
happiness, but the truth is it always comes from within.
24. Letting too many plans blind you from the beauty of now. – When life
is good, enjoy it. Don’t go looking for something better. Happiness
never comes to those who don’t appreciate what they have. You must be
willing to loosen your grip on the life you have planned so you can enjoy the
life that is waiting for you now.
25. Being too narrow-minded to see the opportunities given to you. – Sometimes
life doesn’t give you what you WANT because you NEED something else. And
what you need often comes when you’re not looking for it.
26. The limitations you put on yourself. – It’s often
our own thinking that hurts us. There’s no reason to imprison
yourself. Don’t think outside the box. Think like there is no box.
27. Letting negativity get the best of you. – Remember,
true strength is when you have so much to cry and complain about, but you
prefer to smile and appreciate your life instead.
28. Never admitting and growing beyond your mistakes. – You can
learn great things from your mistakes when you aren’t busy denying them.
29. Not accepting responsibility for life changes you need to make. – If you’ve
been asking the same questions for a long time, yet are still stuck, it’s
probably not that you haven’t been given the answers, but that you don’t like
the answers you were given. Remember, it takes a great deal of courage to
admit that something needs to change, and a lot more courage still, to accept the
responsibility for making the change happen.
30. Seeking too much validation from others. – You are
GOOD enough, SMART enough, FINE enough, and STRONG enough. You don’t need
other people to validate you; you’re already valuable. You are YOU and
that’s the beginning and the end – no apologies, no regrets.
31. Impressing the wrong people. – Not everyone will appreciate
what you do for them. You have to figure out who’s worth your
attention and who’s just taking advantage of you. Spend more time
with those who make you smile and less time with those who you constantly feel
pressured to impress.
32. Time spent on drama and needless arguments. – Life is too
short to argue and fight. Count your blessings, value the people who
matter and move on from the drama with your head held high.
33. Letting a grudge hurt your happiness. – Let it
go. Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness. Holding one is like
letting unwanted company live rent free in your head.
34. Endlessly worrying about things. – Move
on. Stop letting it bother you. If a problem can be solved, there’s
nothing to worry about. If it can’t be solved, worrying is useless.
35. Forcing what’s not meant to be. – Never force
anything. Do your best, then let it be. If it’s meant to be, it
will be. Don’t hold yourself down with things you can’t control.
Sometimes you have to stop worrying, wondering, and doubting. Have faith
that things will work out, maybe not how you planned, but just how it’s meant
to be.
36. Getting stuck in the trap of consumerism. – Too many
people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t need, to
impress folks they don’t even know. Don’t be one of them.
37. Never traveling when you had the chance. – Once a
year, go somewhere you’ve never been before.
38. Not choosing to laugh at life more often. – Life is way
better when you’re laughing. Being positive in a negative situation is
not naive, it’s a sign of leadership and strength.
39. Resisting change instead of rolling with it. – You’re not
the same person you were a year ago, a month ago, or a week ago. You’re
always growing. Experiences don’t stop. That’s life.
40. Talking the talk, but never walking the walk. – When it’s
all said and done, be sure you haven’t said more than you’ve done. In the
end, actions always speak louder than words. So work hard in silence, and
let your success be your noise.
AFTERTHOUGHTS
If you’re struggling with any of these points,
know that you are not alone. Many of us are right there with you, working
hard to feel better, think more clearly, and live a life free of regrets.
This is precisely why Angel and I wrote our book,“1,000 Little
Things Happy Successful People Do Differently.” It’s filled with short, concise tips on
how to do just that. And believe it or not, Angel and I review a lot of
our own material on a regular basis too, just to center our minds on these
positive principles.
The bottom line is that it’s never too late to take a step in
the right direction. It’s never too late to become the person you are
capable of being. Things can change if you want them to, at any
age. Right now you have an opportunity to write yourself a future full of
peace and free of regret.
YOUR TURN…
Let’s flip the concept
of this article around. Instead of sharing something you don’t want to
regret down the road, tell me this:
What have you done
lately that you know you will NOT regret down the road?
Leave a comment below
and share your thoughts and insights.
Via : www.vtydknow.com