Do you have regrets in life? Take action today to change them so you don’t take them to your death bed.
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Seldom is it discussed. We suppress the topic of dying and ignore it the best way we know how. Sure, we have regrets. One thing I would like to believe is we know the regrets are there and we take action to reverse the regret.
One of my greatest fears is dying without having left a lasting positive impression on my children, my wife, and others in my life. I don’t want to live my life having accomplished nothing, inspired no one, and never having shown love to others. For many men, including myself, I am reluctant to tell the men in my life that I love them. I can tell my wife and the other women in my life my feeling with no problem.
Maybe I have this problem because it is seemingly part of our culture. Maybe it is because men aren’t supposed to talk about things like that. It’s taboo and we only tell each other we love one another at a funeral, most of the time. It’s time to demolish taboo, to destroy stereotypes.
Below I have listed three topics. These three topics are important to most men, not all. Will you wish you would have worked more should you face death tonight?
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Relationships: Yeah, I know. We are supposed to smell like leather and gunpowder. With an occasional smell of whiskey rolling off of our breath, we speak with gruff tones. Why? Because we are men! That’s why. All the while many of us are neglecting relationships in our life. I haven’t reached it yet, but I am sure when I get to my death-bed, I won’t say, “I wish I would have worked more.” On the contrary, we will all likely wish we would have spent more time with our family and friends.
Careers: Here’s the deal. When you leave your company, whether at retirement or if you leave tomorrow out of frustration, you will be replaced. It doesn’t matter the reason for your exit, they have a job to do, and they will find someone to complete that job. Don’t invest all of your life into a career that likely won’t remember you when you are gone.
Hobbies: I know how it feels when you need to get away. But, if we spend more time golfing or whatever it is you do, than we spend time investing in our children, chances are we will find ourselves with regret at the end of our journey.
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For me, learning to say no to offers has been a learning experience. I have had to purge things from my life that will lead to a road of regret later in life. How can you reverse the road of regret in your life?
For me, this means removing obligations from my life that take away from my priority which is my family. Maybe you don’t have family in your life. Maybe the only priority in your life is your career. There are still relationships involved with your career. My motto is “relationships always come before revenue.” I believe this because long after the money we make is gone, there will likely be relationships we should have nurtured more along the way.
I encourage you to think about what you would say should you find yourself on your death bed tomorrow. Don’t make decisions today which will lead to regret later.
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Photo credit: Flickr/ Ryan Melaugh