A Morning Cup of Jo

Regrets of the Dying (an inspirational article)

This is heavy topic for the happy fluffiness of my blog, but it’s definitely worth sharing. :)

My friend introduced me to this great website, Inspiration and Chai. ”Inspiration and Chai is an ongoing journey. The aim of this site is to share inspirational stories and motivational thoughts and for it to reach more and more people in need, seekers on their path. It is a positive environment to revisit whenever you feel it calling.”

The article that caught my attention is called, “Regrets of the Dying.” Bronnie works in palliative care, where she nurses patients who have gone home to die. She says, “People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them. When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again.”

I read through her list (and explanations) of the top 5 themes that show up as regrets right before death, and I admittedly teared up. Sometimes I need a reminder to step back from the hustle and bustle of life and really evaluate myself, my goals, and my values. Her article meant a lot to me in this particular phase of my journey, so I thought I’d share her list with you.

Regrets of the Dying:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. (This is the most common regret.)

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard. (Trying to earn a huge income shouldn’t come before family and friends.)

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. (That is all that remains in the final weeks before death, love and relationships. Money/status issues aren’t even important anymore.)

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier. (Many don’t realize that happiness is a CHOICE.)

What I love about this list is that we have the power to prevent each of these future regrets. “Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.”

I highly recommend stopping by this website and reading what she says about each theme. She’ll even be releasing a full-length book soon!

GO LIVE YOUR LIFE! CREATE YOUR HAPPINESS. :)