Don’t we all have life’s regrets at some point in our lives? Haven’t we all blindly travelled down what appeared as appealing roads that unexpectedly turned into nightmares? And, made stupid decisions, experienced turbulent relationships, or did things that led to traumatic outcomes which stick to us—like super glue? I looked at the coffee cup celebrating my 40th birthday given to me 34 years ago and realized my time on Earth is running out. It seems as I age, the clock spins faster!
In examining your life, are you still haunted by past events? Psychologist Erikson theorized unresolved conflicts trap us in the past and lead to flawed future thinking! Aristotle determined that an unexamined life was not worth living. He emphasized that we should pause periodically, review our past, and make positive adjustments along the way. Plato echoed “The important thing is not life, but the good life which is only possible for those who don’t fear death and have few regrets."
In preparation for this article, I studied literature on death and common themes people shared with trusted hospice workers in their final days, in addition to reading bestseller “The Five Regrets of the Dying” by Bronnie Ware. While teaching senior Sunday school classes, in searching to improve my life, I occasionally asked the members “If you could re-live your life, what would you do differently?” With grimacing, painful facial expressions and sometimes teary eyes, many echoed their troubling regretful lives as if it were too late for changes. Facing the end of life often summons strong thoughts examining one’s past as discussed below:
Seneca noted “Our regrets can teach us about ourselves, help us avoid repeating mistakes, and encourage us to make wiser decisions. It’s not that we have a brief time to live, but that we waste a lot of it!” Contrary, if we allow our regrets to re-play painful memories, or ignore them, our devastating failures will repeat themselves, impair thinking, and diminish positive growth.
Regardless of your age, it’s never too late to change directions to accept your past and learn from its valuable teaching lessons. We have researched and written extensively on creating happiness, overcoming bitterness, forgiveness, and turning our regrets into blessings. In published articles available on our non-profit website www.mikedubose.com, we outline specific roadmaps on how to live purposeful, peaceful lives.
Are you ready to make some life-changing directions so when you approach death, you aren’t fearful and have few regrets? I learned, with God’s help, that our minds, which fiercely resist change, can be reprogramed. It wasn’t easy, but my efforts were successful! If this hardhead did it, so can you!
©Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved Mike DuBose. Please share our article by providing individuals with our website link www.mikedubose.com with the author’s credits without altering the document’s content. Our purpose is to “Create opportunities to improve lives” and we appreciate your being a partner in helping others.
Write to Mike at mike@grantexperts.com. Visit his nonprofit website www.mikedubose.com and register to receive his monthly articles or Daily Thoughts plus free access to his books, including “The Art of Building Great Businesses.” The website includes 100+ published articles he has written on business, travel, and personal topics, in addition to health research with Surb Guram, MD and our beloved pets with David Hurst, DMV.