Do you have regrets? Do you think you’ll have greater or fewer regrets when you reach the later stages of your life? The time to avoid regrets is right now. You only have so many days, so make the very most of them.
Wise decisions and a little bit of courage are all you need to minimize the amount of regret you feel in your life.
Live each day to the fullest with these strategies:
- Make the most of each day. The problem isn’t that life is too short. The problem is that we don’t make the most of our time. Think of how much time you’ve wasted over the last 10+ years. What could you have accomplished with just 30 minutes each day for 10 or 20 years?
- At the end of each day, take a few minutes to reflect on what you’ve accomplished over the course of the day. What did you get done? How much time did you waste? How did you waste it?
- Take risks. It’s true that you regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did. Turn up your courage a notch or two and take more intelligent risks than you are right now. Try new activities and open yourself up to new people. Try that thing that you keep thinking about. Stop thinking about it and live it.
- Be true to yourself. Know your values and goals. Avoid doing things that you know in your heart aren’t right. Trust your intuition. Of all the awful things you’ve done in your life, you knew that 99% of them were awful before you did them.
- Make a list of your values and be aware of them. Before you do anything that seems questionable, remember the items on your list.
- Avoid acting impulsively. Whether you say something you shouldn’t have, or you take a course of action that is unwise, you’ll often be regretful after being impulsive. Impulsivity is the result of being emotionally distressed in some way. When that happens, your ability to make good decisions goes out the window.
- Grow. We regret being stagnant. Looking back over the last decade or more and realizing that you’re the same person you were back then can be devastating. Put yourself on a path of personal growth. Spend time each day becoming the best version of yourself.
- Be honest. Honesty is a big word. It’s not just about being truthful with your words. It’s about being open with your opinions and beliefs. It’s about living your own truth. When you’re honest, people understand you, and your interactions and relationships take place at a higher level.