Living without Regret

When you reach the end of your life and are lying on your deathbed reflecting, will you be remembering joy, taking pride in accomplishments, feeling the rewards of a life well lived, or will you be filled with regret? Regret is a waste of time, emotion, and energy. To ensure that your life is a successful one, you need to take positive, proactive steps to live in a way that you have no regrets holding you back.

First and foremost, take the time to think before you act. Some people make very big decisions with very little consideration at all, and as a result they often regret their decisions. The most important decisions in life are similar to rudders that steer your future in the direction it will go. Before choosing a college major, getting married, accepting a job, or having a child, you must carefully consider all the rewards and ramifications and make a conscious decision rather than a careless one. Big decisions aren’t the only ones that require forethought, though. Before you lose your temper and say something you will regret later, think about what you’re going to say. It’s easier to tell someone you’ll get back to them later than it is to apologize later for having said the wrong thing. And if you do hurt someone with your words, make amends and apologize.

Use the talents that God gave you. If you can use them in your work and get paid, even better. But even if you don’t earn money for them, you’re still blessed to have been given the gifts you have. And everyone has a gift, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. There is a place in the world for everyone, whether your skill is in playing the piano, cooking spinach Florentine, drawing intricate maps, piloting a military cargo plane, designing video games, or caring for the elderly. Help whoever you can, wherever you can, whenever you can. Regrets more often come from things you wish you hadn’t done, but they can also come from things you wish you had done but didn’t.

Make a list of the things you want to do in life, and then do them. Some of those things will be easy to do and some will be hard, but keep your eyes on the prize of living a successful life without regret, and you’ll find that accomplishing your goals might be easier than you think. But don’t just daydream about those goals - make an actual list, written down in black and white, and refer to it now and then to see what you have left to do.

Take care of yourself. When you’re feeling happy and full of energy, taking care of yourself isn’t a problem. But on those days when you feel like crawling beneath the bed and never emerging again, you still must take care of yourself. Obviously you can’t eat a healthy diet every day, and you can’t go to the gym and work out for two hours a day every day. But you can do what you can do, and if you miss a day here or there, or eat a horribly unhealthy meal now and then, the world won’t stop turning. Don’t kick yourself about your shortcomings; just acknowledge them, vow to make changes where you can, and move on. Tending to your mental and emotional health is just as important as taking care of yourself physically.

Keep those who are important to you very close and be sure to let them know how important they are to you. Family, friends, co-workers, extended family, and people who are as close as family are your lifelines that you can call on whenever you need them to help you remember what’s important in life. Be sure to keep your friendships in good repair.

Last but not least, don’t sweat the small stuff. Learn to give yourself some slack and not beat yourself up about things you cannot change. Whenever something seems overwhelming, just ask yourself what it means in the grand scheme of things. Will that mistake, decision, problem, or issue have any lasting effect that will change the world? If not, then why waste your time regretting it? Put things in perspective and move on. Life is hard, but it is precious. Don’t waste time regretting the past, or your future will get here before you know it.