You can’t change the past, but some regrets can make you wish you’d lived your life differently.
Never asking questions
You probably acted like you knew what you were doing when you were younger because you were afraid to ask. Maybe you never asked for directions, advice, or how to do something because you didn’t want to look stupid.
At 65, you will wish you had known how many times you missed out on something because you were afraid to ask a question. You’ll wish you knew sooner that no one knows everything and asking is usually the fastest way to learn.
Staying in one place
You might have spent your whole life in one town not because you hated your hometown, but because moving away seemed too challenging. Maybe you always wanted to live by the beach, or travel to a foreign country, or even live in a different state.
In your adult years, you wonder if moving somewhere new would have given you more friends, opportunities, or adventures. There is nothing wrong with settling down, but don’t stay somewhere because you’re afraid of moving.
Staying in a hated job
Maybe you worked a job you hated your whole life because it was secure and a steady cheque was better than the unknown of something new. You hated waking up every Monday morning, watched the clock waiting to go home every day and fantasized about what else you could be doing.
At 65, you may look back and realize you spent some of your best years working at something that made you unhappy. You might regret not taking a chance on something else instead of telling yourself being unhappy at work was normal.
Never taking photos
You may have hated cameras for years because you were embarrassed about your weight, hair-do, wrinkles or photographs in general. You may have always been the person behind the camera instead of in it.
By the time you’re 65, you discover there are very few pictures of you smiling on holidays, at family functions or just hanging out with the people you love. Maybe you wish you’d quit worrying about looking perfect and just smiled for one.
Hiding your talents
Perhaps you were talented at singing, drawing, writing, cooking or crafting, but never let anyone see. You may have been afraid they would laugh at you, make fun of your work or accuse you of bragging.
Now, you can kick yourself for hiding something that you truly enjoyed for so long. You never had to be famous or make money from your gift, but you could have allowed yourself many years of enjoyment.
Staying in toxic relationships
You may have spent years with someone who caused you more unhappiness than joy. You may have clung to them out of fear of being alone, or hope they would change. In your 60s, you regret all the years wasted trying to rescue a relationship that was only dragging you down.
You wish you had mustered the courage and support to leave sooner instead of devoting so many years to putting someone else’s needs before yours.
Saving every penny
Being frugal is good, but you may one day regret spending your life not enjoying your earnings. Maybe you continually put off vacations or never treated yourself to something you wanted because you wanted to save every penny.
At 65, you’ll have great savings, but little memory of the trips you always put off. You may regret not finding a healthy medium between preparing for tomorrow and living for today.
Never speaking up
Maybe you spent decades biting your tongue when someone wronged you, offended you, or made decisions that impacted you. You didn’t want to upset someone. You didn’t want to appear selfish or difficult. By the time you’re older, you might wish you spoke up for yourself more rather than letting others determine what was okay.
Missing family moments
You may not have spent enough time with your family. You were so caught up working and doing errands that you told your kids no when they wanted to spend time with you. You skipped your parents’ visit because you were too busy.
Now you’re 65 and realize how quickly time flew by and how many moments you’ll never get back. Maybe you regret not spending more time with your loved ones instead of thinking you always had tomorrow.
Worrying about opinions
You may have spent a lot of your life concerned about others’ opinions of you. Maybe you avoided wearing particular clothes or accessories, travelling alone, making big decisions, or trying new things for fear of judgment.
By 65, you may discover most people were too consumed with their own lives to notice yours. You could regret giving so much power to what other people thought about your choices rather than doing what you wanted.
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