“I wish I had worked more,” said no one ever.
Regret takes a toll on us. Not only on our hearts but on our souls. When we let people down, when we do the bare minimum when we know we should have given it our all or when we simply just didn’t show up, emotionally or physically, they take a toll. Some regrets we can move past in a moment, others linger for a lifetime.
Author Bronnie Ware wrote The Top Five Regrets of the Dying—A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing after spending several years caring for dying people in their homes.
- I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
- I wish I didn’t work so hard.
- I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
- I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
- I wish that I had let myself be happier.
Sad right? That’s a tough pill to swallow.
In our latest book Get Momentum How to Start When You are Stuck we take a deep look at the roots of what it means to be stuck and depict what it would look like for each of us to find the momentum we need to make forward movement in the places we feel stuck before we fall into the trap of regret.
When we take a deep look at regret, it is often connected with the idea of being stuck. Being stuck means we are not making forward movement. We are not chasing our dreams, we are not feeling fulfilled, we are stationary. Before falling into the trap of regret, we must be willing to find the momentum to get unstuck.
People often come to us explaining that the projects they are feeling stuck in are personal in nature. They want to do something creative like write a book or focus on a hobby such as photography or art but these projects get tossed into the “nonessential” category and rarely come to fruition. Yet these are the projects that are essential to the core of happiness and well-being and tap into essence of the regrets listed above. These projects are an expression of people’s true, authentic selves.
Where we tend to get stuck is the realization that these projects don’t have an external deadline and more times than not, there is no financial reward attached to it. Because of this, these personal, self expressive projects don’t get prioritized - further drowning in unhappiness and a life of of possible regret.
Don’t let the weight of regret keep you down today.
Live freely, in the pursuit of creativity, self expression and authenticity. It is okay to put yourself on your priority list every once in awhile. Your happiness and well-being are worth it. You are worth it!
What project have you always dreamed of pursing, that is personal in nature and a direct expression of who you are? Comment below!