Monday, August 19, 2013

Top 5 Regrets of the Living

A dear friend died yesterday, someone I was supposed to do a project with. As always, the news of death rings the alarm for those of us still living. We may ask, am I living my life well?

For answers, let us turn to those at the end of life. These are the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying:
  1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
  2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.
  3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
  4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
  5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
No need to wait for the end to become wise. Looking back on my life, I have my own list of regrets, mistakes made along the way that I wish to not repeat. Here it is:
  1. I wish I had spent less time in fear
  2. I wish I had spent less time in anger
  3. I wish I had been more wise in some of my choices
  4. I wish I had discovered mindfulness earlier
  5. I wish I had understood loving kindness earlier
What is your list?
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6 comments:

  1. TamAugust 20, 2013 at 1:37 AM

    1. I wish I'd followed my dreams sooner

    2. I wish I'd acted more from compassion than from fear

    3. I wish I had found Buddhism twenty years ago

    4. I wish I had created my own space sooner

    5. I wish I had let go

    ReplyDelete
  2. One Bad PixieAugust 21, 2013 at 4:35 PM

    I am going to have to think on this one, but yes, there are things I know I wish I had done, done sooner or never done at all. Very thought provoking post.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Was OnceAugust 22, 2013 at 10:11 PM

    I hope I don't say on my death bed ... I wish had helped more people.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Michael TomlinsonAugust 23, 2013 at 12:58 PM

    In all honesty I often wish I had never got too involved with religion and philosophy. These are like drugs that its very difficult to free oneself from. In the meantime the majority of people just take life as it comes and try to make the best of it. Often they seem far happier and more relaxed than most of us who try desperately to be spiritual in some way.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownAugust 24, 2013 at 12:52 PM

    I wish I had understood that I didn't need to compare my life with others and to better understand that we are all suffering.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownAugust 25, 2013 at 5:17 PM

    I hope I don't say that I didn't realize that everyone around me was suffering just like I was, and at the same time hoping that I didn't compare sadness or happiness with others.

    ReplyDelete

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