A survey of 2,000 adults by OnePoll came back with a pretty pessimistic view of our lives. Most of us regret the decisions we’ve made. The top five regrets we have when reflecting on our lives to date are:
- Working too much
- Not traveling more
- Personal health
- Parenting
- Being more charitable
On the brighter side of things, most of us still feel like we can improve our lives based on re-prioritizing going forward. But something struck me in this study. Regret is a topic I find fascinating. I believe that as long as you can recover from mistakes you’ve made, or that you perceive you’ve made, life’s good and it will be better because now you’re aware. For example, I’ve lived a life with high highs and a very low, lows, yet I don’t regret any of my mistakes that led to the lows because of what I learned and applied. I’m blessed with a wonderful wife and furry’s along with the career I always wanted. Had I made different decisions to avoid the lows, I wouldn’t have what I do today. I’ll share with you my philosophy that I applied when I was at my lowest low if you aren’t where you want to be in life. If the next decision you make is a good one and you back that up with another good decision and focus on repeating that process over and over again, your life will improve. You’ll live more intentionally, and the focus will set you on a path for success regarding what you’d like to do differently in your life. Regrets won’t do any of that for you.