In the uncertain times that we live in today, combined with the advertisements and other forms of information overload that we are constantly bombarded with, its impossible to not get overwhelmed. And when you add media (especially, social media) to the basket, it becomes a perfect recipe for disaster. We tend to compare our lives with others and wonder how others are so happy and we aren’t. We start regretting that its because we’re either not good enough OR rich enough OR beautiful or handsome enough OR strong enough, etc. We blame people, things and situations which are beyond our control.
Talking of regrets, I remember that some time ago, I came across some excerpts from a book titled “The Top Five Regrets Of The Dying”, written by a palliative nurse. She listed the top regret as “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” How true! Most people, when they are lying on their death bed, regret NOT having lived their lives the way they expected of themselves. They spent their lives doing what others expected or demanded from them. Instead of pursuing and fulfilling their own dreams, they let others decide what they should be doing. By the time they realize this, it is too late. No wonder that most people die with the music still inside them, instead of becoming the rock-star that they were capable of becoming.
There are other types of regrets too, that we put ourselves to blame. We regret that we should have given more time to our loved ones, OR we should have taken a leap of faith and done something that we think we were capable of in our life and career, OR we should have expressed our feelings more freely, OR we should have kept in touch with our friends, OR we should have taken better care of ourselves and our health, etc.
Look, we have all faced a phase of regret in our lives, at some point or another. Please understand, regret doesn’t give us anything but suffering, as we allow our past to dictate how we should feel in the present. Get over it! Remember, anytime you’re faced with something that you don’t like, there are only 2 options, accept it, or change it. There is no point cribbing about it. Your present situation is a result of a choice that you made or didn’t made in the past. While we cannot undo something that happened in the past, we do have a choice in how we respond to its thought. We can use the past experience as a reference point and decide what adjustments we should make going forward.
So from now on wards, no more regrets! Before I end this post, remember, nothing compares to health. Take care of your physical and mental health. It is what matters most, to achieve all of your goals. Health is a freedom that very few of us realize, until we no longer have it. Don’t let that happen to you!
Samir Jhaveri
PS: I am about to launch a book where I touch on this topic in much more detail. Feel free to signup to my newsletter if you want me to inform you of the launch.
PPS: If you have some baggage that you can’t get rid of, and need one-on-one help for a difficult situation, free free to spill it out!
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