No regrets
Some people in old age look back on how they've lived their lives and feel they could've done things better. This may be because they didn't make the right decisions, or simply took a few wrong turns. So if you can avoid doing the following, you should be able to live out your twilight years without any feelings of regret...
- Missing out on speaking to your parents when they're still there.
- Not taking enough care of your teeth, be it regularly cleaning them or using dental floss.
- Not ending a relationship you can't stand being in because you can't imagine being alone. Spoiler: it won't get any easier, but things will improve.
- Only thinking about yourself and acting selfishly toward others.
- Not reading enough. You'll never hear someone say that they've wasted too much of their life reading.
- Being afraid of quitting a job which is making you ill at a company where you don't feel appreciated.
- Passing up the opportunity to travel. While this doesn't mean that you need to drop everything and travel the world, you should recognize good opportunities and make the most of them.
- Spending too much time doing what others expect in fear of being judged.
- Never leaving your comfort zone, meaning that you miss out on lots of opportunities.
- Only occupying yourself with things you think could change your life. Gaining knowledge is always useful, even if it's just for stimulating your brain.
- Being afraid of telling someone that you love them.
- Wasting money on unimportant things and letting debt build up.
- Only focusing on work and not enjoying enough downtime.
- Holding grudges, especially when they're about things that aren't really important.
- Never cooking food that you like eating.
- Ignoring your physical well-being and not having health issues checked out.
- Neglecting your mental health because you think your physical well-being is more important.
- Trying to buddy up to people you're not actually too fussed about.
- Trying to hold onto friendships that have run their course. Not all friendships can last forever.
- Living in a way that doesn't conform to your own values.
- Not spending enough time with people who mean a lot to you.
- Letting yourself be used by other people through fear.
- Not having helped make the world a better place; believing that you won't be able to make a difference anyway.
- Not enjoying the finer things in life.
- Not celebrating your own birthday in fear that no one will show up.
- Comparing yourself to others.
- Not recognizing that you're a wonderful person inside and out, whatever your shortcomings might be.
- Missing seeing your favorite band out of laziness.
- Spending time worrying about things that aren't too important.
- Not doing something for your own personal pride.
- Not using sunblock.
- Believing that you are who you are and not trying to better yourself.
- Not taking any risks.
Of course, not every point mentioned is a guarantee for a happy retirement and this list is by no means exhaustive. But it can't hurt to keep a few of these ideas in mind however you decide to live your life! :-)
