Lessons on Living, from the Dying

I came across an article recently in a French magazine, that talked about a palliative care nurse, Bronnie Ware, who came up with her list of what the top five regrets were of dying people she was working with. I was going to translate the five regrets into English and post them, but today I found an English version of the article.

I believe there is so much truth to the five statements.  Personally, the first regret puts my career change in perspective.  That it truly was 'ok' to change careers even though I already had a great one going, and that ultimately, its 'ok' to be happy.  It's truly OK.  Really!

The five regrets are as follows:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

If I were to add one more to the list, I'd say, "I wish I'd been more grateful for what I already have."  I mean, its great to keep dreaming, growing, learning and experiencing new things. That's very important.  But at the same time, I think its also important to periodically look at just where you are in life, who is in your life, and what you already have, and just simply be grateful for it all.  I think most people are more blessed than they realize.

The link to the full article is here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying

If you're interested, Ms. Ware wrote a book the topic: