“It is human nature to shut death out but in our final days we often express great truths” – Matt Rudd, Sunday Times
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Why would we really want to know about the regrets of the dying? Well in a nutshell because it reminds us how to live – how to live our lives fully and be true to ourselves. Or as Matt Rudd from the Sunday Times said in an article recently “the dying want us to start living better lives – before it is too late”.
As many of you reading this article know the Dare to Dream online course which I’ve been facilitating for many years now aims to do exactly that, to inspire you to live a better life, a life that is more aligned with the callings of your heart and allows you to be your true self. (The next 12 week online course will Feb 28th – for more details click Dare to Dream online course )
So it was with great interest that I recently came across an article in the Sunday Times by Matt Rudd all about the regrets of people whose lives are coming to an end.
In the article he tells a story about an Australian business man John and his wife Margaret. They had raised five children and John had had a successful career. However for 15 years John resisted Margarets pleas for him to retire and for them both to go travelling together. Eventually Margaret “burst into tears and begged him to retire“. He finally agreed and would retire in 12 months.
Margaret’s excitement grew and she began to make plans for them to travel the world together. Unfortunately during John’s 12 months waiting to retire, Margaret began to feel unwell. She died three months before they were due to travel.
In the article Matt also talks about Bonnie Ware a palliative carer who wrote a blog article about her experiences with the dying. She wrote a post entitled “Regrets of the Dying”. It has been visited more than a million times. The five most common regrets which she mentions in her blog are:
The Top Five Regrets of the Dying (by Bonnie Ware from Sunday Times – 5th Feb 2012)
1. I wish I 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 – Bonnie Ware says this came from every male patient that she nursed,
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings – many people suppress their feelings in order to keep the peace with others. Speaking honestly raises a relationship to a healthier level or it releases you from it.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends – when we lead busy lives we often just don’t seem to have time to connect with friends as much. It is often our childhood friends who were the best and yet as we go our separate ways in life we sometimes lose contact.
5. I wish I’d let myself be happier – it’s often not until the end of life that we realise that happiness is a choice. No matter what was going on we could have laughed more and been a bit more silly just for the fun of it.
Even if only for a few hours each week make sure to nourish your passions and grow what you love in your life. It’s the love, joy and passion you feel as you nourish these that will also touch other peoples lives when you share them and you’ll be amazed what doors will open for you.
Do you want to explore what your dreams are? Do you want to explore what your passions are? Do you want to start turning your dreams into reality? Then register your interest on the next Dare to Dream online course starting Tuesday 28th February 2012- see www.DaretoDreamCourse.com
Be Inspired to Live Your Dreams! Seán M Kelly