Psychology
13 Things You Can Do Right Now to Avoid a Lifetime of Regrets
Photo by brainware3000
It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret” ~ Jackie Joyner-Kersee, US athlete
Do you have regrets about anything you’ve done?
Have you ever regretted not doing something?
Those things you did or didn’t do. Those words you did or didn’t say.
Many of us have experienced the feeling of regret in our lives.
I know I have.
I would find myself replaying in my mind all those things I really wish I’d said or done at the time, but let slip by. I’d ask myself: “If only I’d …” and “What if I’d …”. It’s always a pointless, frustrating, and thoroughly depressing way to think.
Now, I’ve come to realize that regrets are a total waste of time.
When you constantly look back at what you should – or shouldn’t – have done, you’re never happy with what you actually did achieve. You’ll be forever haunted by disappointment. You’ll mourn for what might’ve been, rather than celebrating what you have now.
Regrets keep you imprisoned in the past, stuck firmly in situations you can’t change. No matter how much you desperately want the outcome to be different, history can’t be re-written.
Instead, I’ve been learning (and still am) how to have as few regrets as possible. What follows are some tips which help me. I hope you find them useful too.
Life is Too Short to Waste So Start Living It Now
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I wish I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours” ~ Bernard Bereson
Life is too short.
But you knew that already, right?
It’s a basic truth waiting to be discovered by each one of us. A fundamental lesson that we all learn sooner or later.
Life is far too short to waste.
It races by unbelievably fast … and seems to pass even more quickly the older you get.
That’s why we need to make the most of every second, minute, and hour we have. It matters that you spend them in the best and fullest way possible. You deserve nothing less.
Perhaps you’ve not yet come to appreciate just how precious your time here really is.
Hopefully, when you do, it’ll make a huge difference to the way you live.
You see, while most of us know that life is too short, very few of us go that one step further and allow that powerful fact to guide our everyday living.
It’s only when you do this that you open up the potential for great things to happen in your life.
The Cautious Person’s Guide to Risk Taking
Photo by -mrsraggle-
You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.” ~ Paulo Coelho (Novelist)
Now, are you sitting there relaxed within your comfort zone, feeling safe doing what you’ve always done? Or is there something you really want to try that involves taking a risk – one that will land you slap bang right outside of what you’re used to?
Perhaps you’re torn between the security of doing something that’s familiar and the uncertainty of trying the unknown. It’s a scary place to be. So you end up not taking the risk at all.
The potential for success never materialises, nor does the possibility of failure. Nothing is ventured and nothing is gained – or even lost. You end up asking yourself ‘what if?’ and ‘if only’.
What can we do to make ourselves less cautious about taking risks?
Are You Ready to Take a Risk?
Photo by R'eyes
Do you enjoy the thrill of taking risks? Or, are you more likely to avoid them whenever you can get away with it?
Think of those successful people you admire. When we read the stories of their achievements, it’s easy to be jealous of how lucky they’ve been. But, when you look at the qualities they’ve shown on the way to the top, you find that what sets them apart isn’t good fortune – it’s their willingness to take risks.
For you and me as well, living our lives to the full means taking some risks to get what we want.
This can be scary because taking any risk involves introducing a degree of change into our lives… and that’s tough, especially when we feel safe with the way things are now. So, how do we make ourselves more ready to take risks and reap the rewards?
You Can Do It! Winning Strategies to Conquer Self Doubt
Photo by pasotraspaso
When did you last hear that little voice of self doubt whispering negative thoughts in your ear? You want to try something new or you have a great idea, but that voice inside your head tells you that “you’re not good enough”, “you’ll never succeed”, or “it’ll never work”. Pretty soon, you decide not to give it a go at all.
Self doubt is a destructive feeling that sneaks up on all of us. There’s not a person around who hasn’t experienced a degree of self doubt at some time in their lives. Even the most successful people sometimes doubt themselves – but they’ve learnt how to deal with it and still get on with achieving their goals.
The good news is that it’s perfectly possible to beat self doubt and set yourself free to do great things… with the right techniques and a bit of practice.
