No, I Don’t Regret Anything: My Life List, My Truth
When actor Michael Landon was terminally ill, he said, “Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now!”
An almost French anthem states the same.
Edith Piaf’s haunting song “Non, je ne regrette rien” is “No, I don’t regret anything”.
How would you describe your own presence and state of mind on this topic?
I read an article by Bronnie Ware about 15 years ago.
Bronnie, who spent many years nursing people who had gone home to die, had listed the top five regrets that her patients expressed.
Over the years similar studies around the world have found the same results.
The top 5 regrets of the dying:
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’d not worked so hard
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings
4. I wish I’d had stayed in touch with my friends
5. I wish I’d let myself be happier.
What can you do to not have the same regrets that Ware’s patients had?
For example – what if point 2 struck a cord?
How can you guarantee that working too hard does not make it to your list one day?
Maybe you could work less hard and spend your time living a life true to yourself; or you could work just as hard or harder, on things that are important and meaningful to you?
Your goal is surely to live life more fully.
The ultimate challenge then is to find the work that represents a life true to you.
Change your game
You might have already seen the “Bucket List” with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.
A comedy about 2 elderly dying men who take one last shot at life. A serious topic though.
What do you really want from life?
If you had a bucket list like Nicholson and Freeman – what would be on it?
The big question though is: what makes you believe to only create a bucket list when you are old?
What do you need to change in your current game?
Imagine starting a life list; a list of regrets you don’t want in your life.
The list can contain all the goals you want to achieve, dreams you want to fulfill and life-experiences you want before you die.
Design for life
The whole point of your life list is to then maximize every moment so you live life to the fullest.
It will remind you daily of all the things you want to achieve in your time here.
Your life list gets you focused on living the life you set out to live and it makes you a happier partner, parent, boss, friend, employee and member of society.
Create Your Life List
If you do not already have a life list, what stops you from doing so today?
In the 30 minutes to an hour it will take you to build your list, you will gain significant clarity and focus on what you want from your life.
It’s an invaluable exchange and investment of time for the rest of your life.
And if you already have a list, take time to review it.
Now, take a pen and paper, open a Word document or grab your smartphone:
Start writing (or typing).1. Learn a new language, 2. Take part in a triathlon… knit a scarf, learn horseback riding, see the 7 Wonders of the World, plant your own tree, play a musical instrument, take up dancing, swim with dolphins, be an extra in a movie, fly a kite, fall in love, see the Mona Lisa in the Louvre…. – your life list!
Your life list will always give you something to work towards.
It will be an ongoing work in progress for the rest of your life.
Make the commitment
Now put your life list into action.
Share one item from your list with a friend or family member and ask them to hold you accountable.
Do that and you can start to live an authentic, true life, with a harmonious heart.
Your life list will open up a world of enjoyment, in which you can relish every moment.
You may need a bit of a kick start and as a coach I’d love to help you get going.
Give me a call. But not now. I’m off to my first sailing lesson.
As published in leading business journal ASA in August 2011.