Never underestimate the capacity for the human spirit to grow and evolve and make peace with oneself. Through life each of us will experience a variety of emotions, such as denial, fear, anger, remorse, happiness, love, laughter and eventually acceptance. Through our experiences we ultimately look for peace, peace of mind and peace within our souls. One of the saddest things in life is to die with regrets, wishes, and unfulfilled dreams.
You are responsible for making sure you are served up a full helping in life. Life is a wonderful buffet line filled with a variety of different types of helpings, no one else can make that buffet line but you, you certainly cannot get what you want if you allow anyone or anything to select your main course for life.
When researching most common regrets for individuals who had 12 weeks to live the top five answers, for a variety of age groups, were as follows;
- 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 realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.
- I wish I didn't work so hard.
This came from every patient who was dying. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. All regretted spending so much of their lives working for materialistic goals for their families, and missed out on precious moments of the lives of the people they loved most.
- I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming.
We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.
- I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Often people do not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Most become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.
- I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common one, many did not realize 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. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.
Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.
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