The 5 things people regret at the end of their lives

One of the most confronting questions anyone ever asked me was: if your life is over tomorrow, are you happy with how you lived it? Yes, said a large part of myself. But I also felt some things I really would have liked to do.

On LinkedIn, I saw a striking list by negotiation coach Merel van der Wouden. It was about The Five Regrets of the Dying. Bronnie Ware was a palliative nurse in Australia and kept track of what people regretted most at the end of their lives. I was momentarily silent.

The Five Regrets of the Dying:
1) The courage to live my own life and not the life others expected of me.
2) I wish I hadn't worked so hard.
3) And that I had the courage to express my feelings.
4) That I had kept in touch with friends.
5) I wish I had let myself be happier.

The first was mentioned the most. The courage to lead your own life instead of the life people expected of you. It even turned out that most people hadn't even realized half of their dreams. A shame, when you think about it. Although I do hope for them that just a little less than half of all those dreams were enough to be happy. But you can apparently spend a lifetime doing your utmost to meet the expectations of others and ultimately regret it. That seems like losing twice to me.

What I have learned about realizing your dreams is that it starts with ten minutes a day. If you spend just ten minutes a day on what you would like, then you get (in my case) a little closer to living part-time in Greece. Send an email to someone who could help you, make a financial overview of your dream, request a price, or create a mood board and especially talk about it until you’re exhausted. By expressing yourself, people know what you wish for, and that is the beginning. And to tackle some regrets that Bronnie recorded right away: work five minutes less today and call that friend .

. If you can take advice from someone, it’s from people who have lived life.