They say hindsight is 20/20, but we’re here to save you from that cliche line. So forget hindsight; here’s a list of things that people revealed before their passing that you can start incorporating into your life right now...
Dwelling on a Decision
Sometimes we find ourselves dwelling on a decision and worrying about the choice for so long that the opportunity passes us by. Don't wait and waste precious time. There's a lot to be said about going with your gut and following your instincts.
Holding Grudges
At the end of your life, you don't want to still be holding on to past grudges, especially against those you love. Allowing yourself to move on and let go of the pain is healthy for you and will make you much happier in the long run.
Working Too Much
Working too much is a big regret people have in their last moments. The overtime and extra hours they grinded usually results in some regrets of the things they missed out on, like memories with family and friends, or special events that they couldn't attend. If you're overworking you're going to miss the good parts of life or be too stressed to even enjoy them.
Prioritize Self-Care
Prioritizing your physical well-being goes hand-in-hand with your mental health. The more you nourish and take care of your body, the longer your get to enjoy all that it can do. Don't give up on yourself, it's never to late to start developing better healthy habits.
Sharing Your Love
Something many people regret at the end of their days is not telling someone how they truly feel about them. Loving someone is a precious gift and not telling them is allowing your fear of rejection to win. The worst that can happen is that they don't feel the same, but at the very least, you didn't keep that secret forever.
Traveling to New Places
As you get older, traveling takes much more of a toll on you physically and mentally. While it's often tough financially to travel when you're younger, if you can make it work, you absolutely should. The perspective that traveling to a new place can provide is worth more than money can buy and it can help you realize how blessed you really are in life.
Learning A Language
Something many people wish they had done was learn another language. Sure, we all study a language in grade school, but more often than not, once class ends, we never put it to use. Challenging yourself to use the language and immersing yourself in the culture of that language is the true test.
Staying in an Unhappy Relationship
When people pass away they often regret staying in an unhappy relationship far too long. While it might feel nearly impossible to get out of a bad relationship, the only thing worse is staying in it and wasting your time as well as your partner's time. Moving on is healthy and admitting your feelings is mature.
Wearing Sunscreen
This might seem like a minor thing to put on a list of life regrets, but wearing sunscreen is one of the easiest ways to remain youthful-looking and to avoid serious health and skin concerns later in life. So many prior generations did not realize the importance of it, and now they want you to know not to skip out.
Your Favorite Musician Live
One thing people regret at the end of their lives is missing out on the chance to see their favorite musicians play live. While it's rare that musicians become true icons, even the ones with staying power stop performing live at some point, so when you're favorite act is in town, don't pass up on the opportunity to sing along.
Allowing Fear to Win
Fear is often a paralyzing emotion. Whether it's a simple task like talking to a stranger or something bigger like performing or giving a speech in front of thousands of people, growth and success are often on the other side of fear. Try living each day as if you were fearless and watch how quickly things can change for the better.
Leave the Job You Hate
Most people struggle to figure out what they're most passionate about pursuing in life and that's okay. If you're at a job that makes you unhappy, though, leave it. There's so much out there to pursue, at the very least that job allowed you to discover what you didn't want, and that's useful, too.
Getting the Most Out of School
Sure, learning about old world civilizations and english literature can be boring, but it's not exactly the subject matter that matters most when it comes to your time spent in school. Grades are important but what's most important is learning how to apply yourself and be dedicated to your work.
Listening to Your Parents' Advice
As a kid, the last thing you ever want to do is listen to your parents' advice, but as you get older, you realize how much they actually had to offer. The sooner you take some of their valuable advice into consideration the faster you can heal from heartache and navigate all that life throws at you.
Spending Your Youth Being Self-Absorbed
Eventually, most learn that ther are a lot more people in the world than just themselves, but if you can take that to heart as a young person, you can tap into so many other valuable experiences. Force yourself outside of your bubble--it's a strength not many are able to conquer when they're young.
Ignoring the Opinions of Others
Too often, young people dwell on the opinions of others which limits their abilities to really hone in on their own unique abilities. When you grow older you realize that other people's opinions of you don't even matter and that most of the time they come from a place of unhappiness on their behalf.
Supporting Other People's Dreams
While on the road to discovering yourself and your own potential, there's no reason you cannot also support the dreams and aspirations of others. Jealousy gets you nowhere, and there's room for nearly everyone to be successful together. One person's success does not take away from your own.
Standing Strong
Confidence in yourself is key in life, but even more so, standing up for yourself and your beliefs should matter to you. Allowing others to push you around or tell you how you should think only thwarts your ability to share your unique strengths with the world, so whoever you are, own it.
Avoid Being Limited By Stereotypical Gender Roles
Regardless of what you are told as you grow up, gender roles don't mean a thing. If there's something you want to pursue in life, go for it. It doesn't matter if it's "for boys" or just "for girls," if you are passionate about it, you can carve out your own unique path.
Accepting Yourself
For a long time in life, we all struggle with self-image and self-love. The sooner you can accept yourself and realize your own unique beauty, the sooner you're able to ignore all the messages in the world that tell you otherwise. Work on loving and accepting yourself so you can enjoy everything else that life has to offer.
Go Volunteer
There's always a way to get involved and help others. Not only does volunteering your time do some good in the world, but it also provides you with a sense of community. There's always a cause worth showing up for, and just showing up matters to so many people.
Friendships Come & Go
Sometimes, friendships end. The hardest part of this is usually accepting that the relationship has truly run its course, but the reality is, sometimes people drift apart and forcing that connection to continue often does more harm than good. People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime—not everybody has to stay forever.
Take Care of Your Teeth
Neglecting their teeth is one of many people's deathbed regrets. While flossing and brushing is sometimes a pain, keeping your teeth rather than wearing dentures later in life is definitely more ideal.
Connecting with your Grandparents
Grandparents are a true gift, and if you haven't spent enough time with them, make sure you do. They're only around for a short time, and they have so much wisdom and warmth to share. Don't miss out on the chance to connect.
Learning to Cook
Learning to cook, at least one impressive meal is truly an underrated talent. This skill will add to your family and friend get-togethers and it's just an overall great life skill to be able to cook for yourself or others. Learn from your parents, grandparents, the Internet, whatever works, it will definitely pay off.
Stop & Appreciate the Moment
Not stopping to appreciate the moment will come back to bite you at the end of your days. Put your phone down and just live. Living your life through a lens doesn't allow you to really take advantage of the moment, so try to unplug and be present.
Finish What You Start
All too often we are really excited to start a project or accomplish a goal, but somewhere in the middle the work of it all makes us lose interest. Instead of giving up, try to push through and finish what you start. The world rewards those who do the work.
Learn a Cool Party Trick
While this one might seem silly, learning a goofy or impressive trick to keep in your back pocket is always a handy social tool. Memories are made in the weird little in-between moments, and showing your friends a good time certainly helps.
Break The Mold
Oftentimes, we feel a lot of pressure from cultural expectations. Whether your family thinks you should "go into the family business" or your country places limitations on you based on your gender or skin color, your dreams shouldn't be limited to what other people see for you. Break the mold and go after what matters to you.
Just Play
All too often, when we grow into adults, we take life too seriously and forget to simply have fun and... play! If you have children, play with them. Kids are joyful and wide-eyed, and spending some time with a little one can restore your soul and put a little fun back into even the most seemingly mundane tasks.
Taking A Risk
People often regret not taking more risks throughout their lives, but high risk = high reward. While people usually equate taking a risk with risks in love, there are so many other opportunities that people turn down out of fear. If there's something you can't stop thinking about, you don't want to wonder about it forever, so go ahead and go after it.
Networking
Never taking the time to network and develop relationships in your field of work doesn't do you any favors in terms of your career goals. Leaning into your connections and learning from those above you will pay off dividends in throughout the length of your career.
Worrying Too Much
Worrying about things you can't change or about things that haven't even happened yet is a wasteful use of your time and energy. Everyone worries about things, of course, but dwelling on those things too long doesn't do you any good.
Getting Caught Up in the Drama
Drama can be addicting, but it is also toxic. The more you retreat from unnecessary drama, the less stress you will face in your life, overall. Put the negativity aside and try to redirect to something more fruitful.
Quality Time
Time with loved ones is always time well spent, even if your family and friends are totally out of their minds. You won't ever look back and regret spending quality time with your closest companions. Our time on earth is limited, don't take that for granted.
Perform Live
Even if it's not your cup of tea, performing live in some way is a rush that cannot be duplicated. Whether you embarrass yourself singing karaoke at a dive bar or give a powerful speech in front of your peers, some sort of live performance will teach you a lot about yourself.
Practice Showing Gratitude
Regardless of the situation, practicing gratitude is very important. A tricky social situation or awkward encounter at work always has the ability to teach you something, and instead of looking at it as a negative, working on turning things into important lessons helps us avoid holding grudges and, in turn, helps us expand on our own potential.
Let Yourself Be Happy
All too often, humans, in general, are programmed to always anticipate the worst, and thus never really reach their true potential of happiness. When all is said and done, though, there's something to be said about just permitting yourself to be happy.
Keep in Touch
People naturally drift apart, but there are also friends that you inadvertently cast aside without even realizing it. Keeping in touch with a simple phone call, email, or text, can go a long way in terms of keeping friendships afloat. Just letting someone know you're thinking of them goes a long way.
Express Yourself
When you're at the end of your days you don't want to look back and wish you had had the courage to express your true feelings. Matters of the heart are tricky and can be really scary, but what is scarier is getting to the end of your life and regretting not letting someone know how you felt about them.
Pursue Your Wildest Dreams
People often use the line "life got in the way" when it comes to pursuing their biggest dreams and aspirations, but when they look back on their lives, they then wish that they had pursued those very things. So, don't let life "get in the way" and go after what your heart desires.
Let Go of Bitterness
Many times people regret things that they left unsaid—this is especially true for women. Holding onto things leads to resentment and bitterness, though, so get ahead of this and speak your mind. You will instantly feel a weight lifted.
Take the High Road
Fighting with friends or family is hard, and it's even harder when a fight results in people not speaking to each other or holding onto the hurt. In these situations, be the bigger person and resolve conflicts. You don't want to hold on to something you will regret years later because typically those problems become pretty trivial.
Having a Family
Having a family of your own to share special memories with is a gift that cannot be replicated in any way. If you want to have children, there are so many ways to create the family that you always wanted—don't give up.
Save Up
When you're young it's hard to think long term, especially when it comes to retirement, however, the earlier you start to save for retirement, the better off you will be when those days come. Getting older comes with enough challenges, don't let money be one of them.
Be A Better Partner or Parent
"I wish I had been a better partner or parent," is something that gets said too often at the ends of people's lives. So do it now—be a better parent now, be a better partner now. There's always room for improvement and sometimes it just takes a bit of perspective to get you there.
Learn a Musical Talent
Whether it's learning to dance, sing, or play an instrument, dedication to something in music is something you will never regret learning. These sorts of skills not only teach you a cool and interesting new skill, but they also teach you life skills like dedication and perseverance.
Reach Out To Distant Family
Making connections with family is priceless. You'll never regret connecting with someone related to you and learning about their lives, and often, this teaches you something you didn't know about yourself, in turn.
Visit The Seven Wonders
While visiting all seven is quite an undertaking, getting the chance to at least see one or two of the seven wonders of the world is a life-altering experience. Traveling in general will teach you a lot about the world and yourself, and these breath-taking structures will just be the cherry on top.
Get a Tattoo
While this might not be for everyone, a lot of "un-inked" individuals often regret not just going for it when it comes to getting a tattoo. In the long run, it just becomes part of your story—so if you've been thinking about a tattoo for a while, just do it!
Visit All Seven Continents
Visiting a country (or countries) on all seven continents is a pretty cool feat to accomplish. Often, at the end of people's lives, they regret not seeing more of the world. What better way to check this off the bucket list than to tick off a box on each of the seven continents?
Adopt a Pet
Having a pet is a long-term commitment that many don't think they can handle, but more often than not, a pet can bring so much more joy than people really ever anticipate. Dogs and cats (and other furry friends) are consistent and there for you no matter what happens in life, and there's nothing better than that sort of companionship.
Meeting Your Idol
While sometimes this might be difficult, if you have the opportunity to meet your idol, don't sleep on the chance. Sometimes they're not quite what you envisioned, but for the most part, getting the chance to meet them and tell them what an important role they played in your life feels pretty darn good.
Learn About Your Ancestors
Currently, it's easier than ever to learn about your ancestors, so if you have the chance, definitely go for it. You can learn so much valuable information when you take a look at the past.
Visit the Statue of Liberty
This seems like a pretty specific thing to be on the list, but so many people haven't had the chance to visit this important monument. The Statue of Liberty represents our freedoms and where we all came from, and in today's world, it's important to reflect and remember.
Visit a Rainforest
This is another specific addition to the list, but you can never really grasp the beauty and wonder of the world without experiencing a rainforest first hand. Vast and full of strange creatures and plant life, getting to see a rainforest in person will blow your mind.
Scuba Dive or Snorkel
The world's oceans are even more vast and unknown than the world's rainforests, so if you get the chance to snorkel or scuba dive, especially at a large coral reef, definitely go for it. The ocean is full of wonder and amazing sea life, and a tropical location is certainly not a bad vacation spot either.
See a Broadway Show
Even if theater isn't your thing, seeing a show on Broadway at least once has to be on your bucket list. The art of the theater is unlike any other, and even if you don't believe yourself to be a fan, there is truly something for every taste on Broadway.
Visit the Louvre
Witnessing the Mona Lisa in person is an experience that is truly underrated. If you find yourself at the Louvre, make sure you catch a glimpse of this famous historical beauty.
Visit a National Park
They're right here in most of our backyards, and they have so much to offer, so visit your local National Park, or visit all of them! No matter which one you choose, a connection with the natural world is a must.