3 Things you can do now so that you can say “I Have No Regrets” later in life.
First let’s define a ‘regret policy’. A regret policy is when you take responsibility for your dreams and goals and execute them so that you do not have regrets later in life.
“One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.” — Paulo Coelho
Human life is short. The time span we are given is limited. We can actually do the math and count the number of days we live. So let’s begin at the end. Imagine you are on your deathbed. You are about to end this journey called life. For one last time, you try to remember the most memorable moments of your life as a flashback. What do you see? Do you feel happy about the journey you just took? Did you courageously go after your calling? Did you spend enough time with the people who mattered most to you?
First, let me tell you what will not matter at that moment.
- The money you have in your bank account and the possessions you own. (Because you aren’t taking any of it with you.)
- Whether or not you are famous.
3. The number of likes on your social media.
4. The people who criticized you.
5. Your micro failures.
Instead, the things that will matter most are:
1. The courage to go after your calling (whatever you want to pursue the most).
2. Expressing yourself without fear.
3. Taking responsibility for your own happiness.
4. Spending more time with your loved ones.
Don’t let anything fool you or divert you from these important things. Regret is awful. It is one of the most painful and helpless states of being anyone can experience. The disappointment is real and it hits you hard. Once you are 96 years old, you won’t be able to go back and start over. However, you can start now and make an awesome ending.
You have the ultimate power:
You always have a choice. You can either strive to become a better person and go after your dreams and goals or later experience regret for not going after what you wanted most out of life. Working on your regret policy will demand that you be disciplined, be patient, be persistent and have grit. It will require that you have a solid work ethic. However, in the end it will give you the most satisfying and euphoric experience you will ever have. Your micro failures, your haters and your setbacks won’t matter. You will realize that they actually helped you toughen up along the way.
Here are 3 things that would help you stay on track when working on your regret policy:
a. Keep your focus on your top 3 priorities: Your top 3 priorities can be your family, your health and your career, or anything else important to you. Never let random, new, flashy things take your attention away from your priorities.
b. Make the most of each day: Utilize time. It is the most valued possession we have. Never let the day control you. We are each given 24 hours. The difference between the most successful and unsuccessful people is how they utilize their 24-hour time-frame. There is no secret here. To create anything meaningful and long lasting, you must show up to it every day, consistently. Success is always achieved incrementally. By winning 1% each day. One step at a time. One tiny victory at a time.
c. Become the best version of yourself: No matter where we come from, we all want the same thing. It is our deep-rooted desire to become the best version of ourselves. We’re all trying to reach our highest potential. It’s never an easy ride, though. To become the best version of ourselves, we must consistently work on ourselves by taking care of our health, continuously learning and improving our craft, cultivating compassion and self-love, working on our goals and engaging in a lot of hard work. However, in the end it will all be worth it due to the people we become.
Conclusion:
Let regret motivate you to go after your wildest dreams. Let regret make you own this opportunity to be, do or have whatever you desire. Take the plunge. Now is the time. You won’t ever get it back.
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Originally published at medium.com