What you’re doing right now or will do later can become your biggest regret. At the moment, we tend not to think about the consequences of our actions because we prioritize pleasure over costs. We’ve all heard or know of someone with a tattoo they deeply regret. If they just took a minute to weigh the costs, their future selves will thank them for making a great decision.
In the American Regret Project (2021) conducted by Daniel Pink, 82% of Americans report occasionally thinking about their regrets. No matter how much weight we put on top of our regrets, it will always find a way to resurface.
Regrets are inevitable because sometimes what we think is best for us can become our worst decision. We focus on chasing pleasure through sex, drugs, smoking, and partying. Although it’s pleasurable, our future selves will eventually suffer from the poor decisions we make today.
Minimizing as much regret as possible is key to a fulfilling life. In this article, we cover ten common regrets you should stay clear of.
1. Not spending enough time with family
The only time families get together tends to be on holidays. There are only eleven holidays in the US, meaning the time we spend with family is minimal.
Life gets busy and becomes busier as we get older due to work, school, and intimate relationships. There will be a day, and I hate saying this when we can no longer call our parents via phone. Therefore, we should spend more time with family or kids and cherish those moments because time moves fast and doesn’t last forever.
2. Taking life too seriously
We’re all ambitious creatures wishing to achieve more and more. Having goals isn’t a bad thing; in fact, working towards our goals brings fulfillment.
We often set extremely high expectations in school and our careers, believing that will make us happy. Success brings joy, but slaving ourselves to work/study long hours will cause us to miss out on memorable experiences. For example, we might miss out on our kid’s childhood because we were working so much.
Additionally, we put ourselves under immense stress to reach this high expectation. We then brainwash ourselves into believing we should always be working because we fear the disappointment of not working enough.
3. Not asking him/her out
You never know if that person walking down the street or in class will become your perfect soulmate. Since society has forced men to believe they should talk first, most regret not talking to someone they find attractive.
Rejection hurts more than the regret of not talking to someone you found attractive. When you get rejected, you can move on because you know the other person isn’t interested. By stopping yourself from “going for it,” you now live with the what-ifs and uncertainty of what they would have said.
4. Living too cheap
The common belief that society has subconsciously implanted in our minds is that our status derives from the number in our bank accounts. We think the more money we have, the more we deem acceptable by society. Money can easily be a profound source of greed because you’re constantly chasing more, sometimes causing you to step over others.
The fear of running out of money or not having enough to afford other goods makes us strict with our spending habits. It can become one of our greatest regrets because we miss out on unforgettable memories, such as plane tickets or sports events.
Of course, this doesn’t mean we should start emptying our bank accounts. We should continue to live within our means and be attentive to our budget, but we should give ourselves more room to breathe when spending money.
5. Failing to adopt healthy habits
A decision you’re future self will always thank you for is adopting healthier habits, including regular exercise and a healthy diet. There is a mountain of exercise benefits that will convince you why you should get into the gym.
It’s never too late to start exercising and eating healthier. If you wish to save yourself from future doctor visits and grow physically and mentally, exercising is the answer you’ve been looking for.
6. Saying “no” too late
The most difficult word to say is also the most straightforward word to pronounce in the English Dictionary. Saying “no” falls into several areas of life, including intimate relationships, friends, and careers. Saying “no” is about trusting your gut instinct when you feel something is out of place.
Many people wait until it’s too late to say “no” in their relationships with an abusive spouse, friends they hang out with, and habits they do daily. As a result, they throw away years of their life, destroying their health and hanging out with someone they’ll later regret. Saying “no” isn’t easy, but the earlier you start, the better you’ll feel.
7. Not traveling enough
There are two types of people in this world: those who love being indoors and those who love being outdoors. Regardless of who you are, you shouldn’t live the majority of your life enclosed in a room of four walls. If you spend your entire life in your room, what will you be experiencing?
Traveling can be expensive, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip you’ll never forget. You explore beautiful landmarks in other countries and expose yourself to different cultures, cuisines, and ways of living.
There is so much more on Earth than we think, and being able to explore these parts of the world brings us fulfillment. We’re used to waking up, getting ready, and taking the same road to work/school. There’s nothing wrong with this lifestyle, but the problem is we miss out on what’s happening outside of us by refusing to travel.
Rather than continue to live our lives in our bubbles, we should start making an effort to get more stamps on our passports and explore the beauty the world has to offer.
8. Failing to pursue a passion/dream
We all have something we loved doing when we were younger. It may have been playing a musical instrument, a sport, or creating art. Passion drives us toward a fulfilling life because we experience flow and escape boredom by doing what we love. At some point, we loved our passion so much that we dreamed of becoming a professional.
As we age, we begin separating ourselves from our passion because we start allocating our time towards school, work, or pursuing another career. We decide to pursue a different career because we let doubt convince us that we won’t succeed. As a result, we shift our career plans towards something that might bring a lot of money but doesn’t make us happy.
9. Stressing about how we look
The first impression matters, but we let the idea of always having to be perfect corrupt our minds. Therefore, we worry about how other people judge us, which causes us to be overly stressed about our appearance.
The fear of how others perceive us reflects a lack of self-love because we let our flaws prevent us from being ourselves. It’s a common regret many people have because they later realize that nobody is perfect and we judge ourselves more than we judge others.
10. Disrespecting those who cared for us
Some people love us for who we are more than how much we love ourselves. A prime example is our parents and grandparents. Because we were young and filled with arrogance, we misinterpreted their love as a burden and insignificant.
