As part of her care for the terminally ill one Australian nurse has spent time talking with her patients. Often life regrets became the topic of conversation.

Although no two patients were the same, 5 sentiments were continually expressed:

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.

Whilst we live healthy, happy lives we don’t often reflect on the past. We are often too busy living with the here and now to look too far forward and spend even less time reflecting on our past.
The point is, are we really happy? Are we really living the life we want to live? It’s easy to say, ‘work is work’, ‘you can’t choose your family’, and just make do. I agree, work is work and family is family but how pro-active are you in each of these areas?
Maybe it’s time to really look at where you have influence and where you can make a difference. Often just making a start is all that’s needed not only to change your perspective but also the outlook of those around you. Having an ultimate goal in mind will give you focus but don’t overwhelm yourself – taking one small step at a time and taking action that you feel proud of now could save you from a bigger regret later on. Go on, start making the change now!