FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017
4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
Opinion
— Guest Opinion —
5 biggest
regrets of
dying people
By Susie Moore
Susie Moore is a life coach whose
teachings span a global client base
and are regularly featured in lead-
ing media outlets. Through in-person
coaching, online classes and newslet-
ters, she gives clients the tools they
need to lead more fulfilling lives and
careers.
Want to hear the strangest thing
on earth?
Death is perhaps the most
constructive fact of our existence.
Being aware of death throughout
your life can beget the healthiest
attitude: One of perspective.
Countless people throughout his-
tory knew this, too.
The ancient Greeks used to
“practice death every day,” and the
Toltecs would use death as “fuel to
live and to love.”
The constant reminder ensured
they would live more boldly, more
kindly, and with less fear.
The Good News About Death
Here’s how the morbid subject
can actually benefit us: Our lim-
ited days on earth are the ultimate
impetus to live with less fear and
more intention.
The majority of the time, many
of us live as if there will be no end
to our days.
We stay in unfulfilling careers.
We remain in unhappy relation-
ships.
We will travel the world “one
day.”
We fail to tell people how much
they matter to us.
We hide our real truth, gifts, or
talents from the world because
we are scared of being judged and
criticized.
Losing a parent when I was
young made this much more real
for me. I felt blessed to come to the
realization of how precarious and
precious life is while still in my
younger years.
But you don’t need a loss early
in your life to take advantage of
the wisdom that awaits you. Learn
from people who know.
One of my favorite books is
Bonnie Ware’s international best-
seller “The Top Five Regrets of the
Dying.”
Ware was a hospice nurse in Aus-
tralia for several years and cared
for patients in the last few weeks of
their lives. She writes with incred-
ible clarity how similar regrets
surfaced again and again.
Surprise, surprise: There was no
mention of insufficient status; un-
delivered revenge; or sadness over
not being the thinnest, prettiest, or
most famous.
These were the most common
regrets. (Numbers one and five
could make me weep.)
The 5 Biggest Regrets
1. I wish I’d had the courage to
live a life true to myself, not the
life others expected of me.
“This was the most common
regret of all,” Ware writes. “When
people realize that their life is
almost over and look back clearly
on it, it is easy to see how many
dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most
people had not honored even a
— Editorial —
thing again and again, knowing it
doesn’t work. Life seems to us to
half of their dreams and had to die
have two big purposes: To learn
knowing that it was due to choices
lessons that grow your soul and to
they had made, or not made.”
love. If your situation isn’t doing
at least one of those two things,
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so
it fails to serve either you, your
hard.
higher power, or anyone else. We’ll
“All of the men I nursed deeply
never understand clinging to any-
regretted spending so much of their
As
we
watched
the
inauguration
thing that’s broken and stunted.
lives on the treadmill of a work
of
President
Donald
J.
Trump
last
Winston Churchill once said,“A
existence.”
Friday, we couldn’t help but think
pessimist sees difficulty in every
about
the
idea
of
change.
opportunity; an optimist sees op-
3. I wish I’d had the courage to
It
has
been
said
that
nothing
portunity in every difficulty.”
express my feelings.
in
life
is
ever
constant—except
We suppose reality really is
“Many people suppressed their
change.
how
one perceives it sometimes.
feelings in order to keep peace with
Whether
it’s
a
change
in
the
lead-
Trump’s inauguration was factually
others. As a result, they settled for
ership
of
a
nation,
introduction
of
the same event for everyone—and
a mediocre existence and never be-
a
new
technology
onto
the
market,
yet it wasn’t. For protestors, you’d
came who they were truly capable
or
entering
a
new
relationship,
think it was the end of the world.
of becoming. Many developed
change,
we
think,
is
deliberately
For supporters, it looked like a new
illnesses relating to the bitterness
built
into
life
to
keep
growth
in
beginning.
and resentment they carried as a
motion.
That
growth
could
be
spiri-
For nations, change can move a
result.”
tual, mental, physical or emotional. society forward. Other change can
If you look around at nature
also come into the picture to help
4. I wish I had stayed in touch
the
way
God
built
it,
you’ll
see
correct whatever might have gone
with my friends.
the
cycle
through
the
seasons—a
off course. Life is like that.
“Often they would not truly real-
pattern
of
constant,
irrepressible
Change forces a new building of
ize the full benefits of old friends
change
that
keeps
life
on
the
planet
strength.
Change creates excite-
until their dying weeks, and it was
flowing.
Every
day
has
been
de-
ment and innovation instead of
not always possible to track them
signed
to
bring
change,
even
if
it’s
boredom.
down. Many had become so caught
just
becoming
one
day
older
than
Here are some more change
up in their own lives that they had
we
ever
were
before.
quotes we enjoyed:
let golden friendships slip by over
Whether
change
is
unexpectedly
“Change is hard at first, messy
the years. There were many deep
thrust
upon
us
or
precisely
planned,
in the middle and gorgeous in the
regrets about not giving friend-
one’s
ability
to
adapt
to
newness
or
end.” —Robin Sharma.
ships the time and effort that they
even
embrace
it
is
a
key
factor
to
“The secret to change is to focus
deserved.”
creating life successes. Resistance
all your energy not on fighting the
to
evil
is
one
thing,
but
resistance
old, but on building the new.”—
5. I wish that I had let myself
to
healthy
developments
as
life
Socrates.
be happier.
moves
on
is
quite
another.
The
“May your choices reflect your
“This is a surprisingly common
latter
creates
delay,
strife,
anger,
hopes, not your fears.” —Nelson
one. Many did not realize until
stagnation
and
a
host
of
other
Mandela.
the end that happiness is a choice.
negatives;
it
creates
the
pain
of
lost
And a few anonymous ones:
They had stayed stuck in old pat-
possibilities
for
improvement.
“If you don’t have the courage to
terns and habits. The so-called
We
suspect
sometimes
our
brains
lose
sight of the shore, you’ll never
‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed
equate
change
with
danger,
when
travel the ocean.”
into their emotions, as well as their
that
isn’t
really
the
case.
“It’s okay to be scared. Being
physical lives. Fear of change had
The
opportunity
for
change
is,
scared
just means you’re about to
them pretending to others, and to
well—just
an
opportunity
present-
do something very, very brave.”
their selves, that they were con-
ing
itself.
Like most things, maybe the
tent.”
Have you ever noticed that when acceptance of change is all about
something in your life is broken,
faith. After all, fear and faith can’t
Get Clear on What You Want
some blessed chance for change
occupy the same space.
usually
presents
itself
if
you’re
Some changes are small. Some
Here’s an exercise I perform with
paying
attention?
big.
It’s a risk/reward world, and
my clients, which you can do at
To
quote
another
American
you get out of it what you put into
home to figure out what you want
president
with
whom
we
usually
it.
to do, have, and be during your
agree
on
very
little,
Bill
Clinton
We wish you the courage to
precious days on planet earth.
once
said,
“The
price
of
doing
the
bloom with your life changes—and
Take an hour to be quiet with
same
old
thing
is
far
higher
than
best of luck to you, Mr. President.
yourself, a time without distrac-
the
price
of
change.”
We’re excited to see what further
tions when you will not be inter-
Einstein
said
the
definition
of
changes may come.
rupted.
insanity
is
to
keep
doing
the
same
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Embracing
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