Dying is a pretty morbid thought, but unfortunately one of my best friends through my childhood died recently - and was the same age as me.
Pretty scary stuff and short sudden illness.
So what do people regret when they die?
Lifehack provides this list of the 20 biggest regrets:
1. Caring too much about what other people think
It’s only when you realise how little other people are really thinking of you (in a negative sense) that you realise how much time you spent caring and wasting energy worrying about this.
2. Not accomplishing enough
3. Not telling someone how you truly felt
4. Not standing up for yourself more
Sometimes, it’s too easy to think that if you go all out to please everyone you’ll be liked more or your partner won’t run off with anyone else. Age probably teaches us to be nice but not at the expense of our own happiness.
5. Not following your passion in life
6. Arguing with your loved ones all the time
Life is short, and you never really know when the last time you speak to someone you love will be.
It’s these moments that really stay clear in peoples’ minds.
7. Not growing the children to be who they wanted to be
8. Not living more in the moment enough
Watching children grow up makes you realise how short-lived and precious time really is, and as we age, many of us live less and less in the present.
9. Working too much
10. Traveling too little
11. Listening to everyone else
Making your own decisions and feeling confident in the decisions you make gives us fulfilment and joy from life. Going against your gut only breeds resentment and bitterness.
12. Not taking good care of yourself
13. Not willing to take risks
Everyone has their own idea of what’s risky, but you know when you’re living too much in your comfort zone. In hindsight, some people feel they missed out on a lot of adventure life has to offer.
14. Having little time
Many people say time speeds up as we age.
15. Worrying too much
16. Not appreciating enough
17. Spending little time with family
18. Taking yourself too seriously
19. Not doing enough for other people
The six weeks of summer holidays we had as kids certainly seemed to last a lifetime.
If time speeds up, then it’s even more important to make the most of every moment.
Doing things for others just makes life more meaningful.
20. Feeling sad all the time
The realisation that happiness is a state of mind that you can control sometimes doesn’t occur to people until it’s too late.
Read more at Lifehack