Living Without Regrets So You Can Finally Feel Free

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Brooke’s Top Pick For Regret-Free Journals

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Living Without Regrets

There’s nothing worse than feeling like your whole life has just been one giant waste of time. Looking back at all of your past mistakes and obsessing over what went wrong is a surefire way to guarantee that you won’t enjoy the present much either. And forget about the future because there will be even more regrets to stew over then. Let’s face it, living without regrets seems like a pipe dream for you, and you have no idea where to start even if you wanted to.

But here’s the thing, you are not alone. Many people live their lives worrying about all of the things they regret, and just like they do with you, these regrets zap them of all the good energy and positivity they could be enjoying in their lives now.

Just think back to the last time you heard a story about an elderly person on his or her death bed thinking about past regrets and sharing them to teach you a lesson before it’s too late for you.

At that moment, hearing those important lessons helped you remember what it is that is truly important in your life. But within an hour, a day, or a week, you went back to the same old routines and forgot all about the lightbulb moment you had when you first encountered their story.

What People Regret Most On Their Deathbed by The Curious Minds

Is it even possible to live a whole life without regrets? And what would that even look like?

Living without regrets means making the intentional choice to live your life to the fullest, doing exactly what makes you happy now, and not letting anything from your past negatively affect your present.

Wouldn’t it be better if you made these transformative changes to your life right now at this moment so that you could start living without regrets today instead of pondering them in your old age?

I sure think so. I want to live without regrets now and forever. I want to live my life as the person I’m meant to be and be happy along the way. I don’t want to get to a ripe old age and then realize that I did it all wrong. It would be too late to fix much of anything by then.

Five years ago, I made the decision that it was time to live freely and love my life. I wanted to be free of obligations, free of financial burdens, and free from worrying about how everyone else thought that I should be living my life.

I didn’t want to settle for the status quo anymore; I wanted to find my bliss. And I realized that no one else was responsible for my happiness except for me.

So, I made a lot of changes to my personal and professional life, and I started living without regrets.

And today, I want to help you to do the same thing.

How to Live Without Regrets

The simplest strategy for how to live without regrets is to live in the present moment and make your own happiness a priority. Accepting that the past is over, that you’ve learned lessons along the way, and that your happiness matters is the ultimate form of living without regrets.

And here are 50 tips to help you make sure that you start living without regrets from this day forward:

1. Live In the Present

Obsessing about what already took place or worrying about what may or may not even happen is a huge time waster. Focus more on what is happening in your life now and make sure that you are living your best life at this very moment.

2. Live the Life You Want

Never forget that this is your life and no one else’s. You get to decide what you want to do with it. And only you know what makes you truly happy.

3. Live a Life of Purpose

Knowing your purpose in life positively changes your thoughts about yourself, your behaviors, and your goals. Who are you? What are you meant to be doing in this life? How do you contribute to the world? Contemplate the answers to these questions and then live a life of purpose daily.

4. Live a Life of Intention

Living intentionally means being deliberate about the choices you make every day so that you are able to live your best life. It’s the opposite of just going through the motions and having no vision or focus.

5. Live Debt Free

Consumer debt shackles you by creating stress, causing you to worry over finances, and by forcing you to stay in jobs even when you hate them. The sooner you get rid of all consumer debt and live simply, the sooner you can start living life without regret about all of your financial burdens.

6. Value Your Own Opinion

You are the only person in the world who knows exactly what is in your heart. Your opinion of yourself matters above all others.

7. Value Education

Be open to learning new things from other people throughout your lifetime and value the education that they are providing you with.

8. Value People For Who They Are

Choosing to love people as they are and not as what you expect them to be benefits both you and them. Everyone deserves to be his or her true self and to be acknowledged for who he or she has become.

9. Value Emotional Connections

Allowing yourself to connect emotionally with others and be honest about your feelings for them is a great gift to everyone involved.

10. Value Helping Others

When you go out of your way to help others, you will be rewarded with life lessons, learning experiences, and feelings of gratitude.

11. Value the Time You Share With Others

Our time is the most precious asset we have. Spending time with those we love is a far better use of our time than working too much.

12. Value Healthy Relationships

When you connect with the right people, you can build healthy relationships that will forever change your life. And putting in the time and effort to make these relationships stronger, brings you joy, and helps you to create beautiful memories.

13. Value Attainable Goals

Setting goals is a great habit to develop, but setting lofty, unreachable goals will cause you to feel completely overwhelmed and disheartened. Choosing to set small, attainable goals instead will help you to feel accomplished and confident.

14. Be Kind

Practicing kindness with everyone you encounter is life-changing. Just smiling at people when you pass, being respectful to people in the service industry, and being thoughtful to those you love puts so much good energy out into the world. It makes you feel incredibly happy and others will return the same kindness to you.

15. Be Confident

You are exactly who you were meant to be, and you have so many great gifts to share with the world. Understand this and be confident in who you are as the unique, intelligent, attractive, gifted person that you are.

16. Be Independent

When you are dependent on other people, you are giving them control over you and your emotions. You are the only person who should decide how you think, you are the only person who should decide how you behave, and you are the only person who should decide what your best life should look like.

17. Be Honest

It is so important to show your true self to the world. Even if you think others will judge you, you deserve to be loved for exactly who you are and not who others want you to be.

18. Be Positive

Silver linings can be found in any situation. Look for the good and you will always find it.

19. Be Thankful

You already have so many wonderful things in your life. Be thankful for what you have right now in this very moment and forget about the long list of material things you think you want.

20. Be a Risk-Taker

Using your brain to think logically about the pros and cons is a great way to make decisions most of the time. But sometimes when you feel really passionately about something, it is best to go with your gut and take a risk. What do you have to lose?

21. Be Adventurous

Don’t get trapped into a bland routine day in and day out. Try new foods, visit new places, and meet new people. Life is full of new experiences just waiting to happen.

22. Be a Survivor

Bad things often happen to good people. Instead of falling into being a victim, choose to be a survivor instead. You are alive, you are strong, and you can get through anything.

23. Be a Cheerleader

Competing in sports is fun, but when it comes to real life, constant competition wears you down. Instead, choose to lift others up and be a support system to them when they need you most. Life is much better when everyone around you feels successful and validated.

24. Be a Role Model

There are plenty of bad examples set especially on social media. Chose to be a role model instead and spread positivity and unity where others spread fear and conflict.

25. Be a Work in Progress

Accept the fact that you will continue to learn lessons throughout your lifetime. You are wiser today than you were yesterday and you will be even wiser tomorrow. Failure is the best way to learn.

26. Make Simple Living a Priority

Having fewer wants and living simply will drastically decrease your stress and increase your happiness.

27. Make Having Fun A Priority

Stop racing from one obligation to the next. Prioritize fun in your life. Visit with friends, play with your kids, or laugh with your partner.

28. Make Relaxation a Priority

Both your body and your mind need downtime. Self-care has an important part to play in your life. Take the time to rest and recharge when you need it.

29. Make Your Health a Priority

Your physical and mental health is equally important. Eat healthy, stay hydrated, exercise, meditate, and journal. And get support from medical and mental health professionals.

30. Make Your Financial Security a Priority

Educating yourself about personal finance is the gift that keeps giving. Looking into the FIRE movement, low-cost index funds, debt payoff, and compound interest will open your eyes to more financial security than you ever thought was possible.

31. Make Your Bucket List a Priority

Don’t wait until retirement to check off items on your bucket list. Living to old age and in good health is not guaranteed. So make your bucket list a priority now.

32. Let Go of Past Mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes. Some more than others. It’s part of the process of learning and growing. Stop dwelling on them and commit to not making the same ones again.

33. Let Go of Disappointments

Life is full of disappointments if you look for them. Instead, think of them as something you wanted but didn’t get at the time. Try again tomorrow.

34. Let Go of Guilt

You are a work in progress. Sometimes you do stupid, inconsiderate, or destructive things. Think of them as life lessons and move forward.

35. Let Go of Blame

Everyone you know is a work in progress. Sometimes they do stupid, inconsiderate, or destructive things. Forgive them and move forward.

36. Let Go of Missed Opportunities

When you focus on the should-haves you always picture the best-case scenario if only you would have made a different decision. But everything could have turned out poorly, and you have no way of knowing which outcome you would have had. Stop obsessing over missed opportunities and focus on the opportunities you have in front of you now.

37. Let Go of Poor Decisions

You are going to make poor decisions in life. They are going to make you feel bad. But you are also going to learn from them and be smarter the next time.

38. Let Go of Comparison

Everyone is on their own unique journey in this life. No two lives will look the same. So comparing yourself to others is just an invitation to feel either superior or inferior to them. Either way, it will leave you feeling empty.

39. Let Go of Judgement

Passing judgment on people without actually getting to know them may very well be preventing you from forming deep friendships with really amazing people. Your eyes may notice differences between you and others, but having an open mind can help you determine their true character and your own.

40. Let Go of Grudges

The only person you hurt by holding a grudge is yourself. It is a complete waste of your time and energy. In the meantime, the other person involved has probably forgotten about the conflict entirely and moved on with his or her life. You need to let it go.

41. Let Go of Toxic People

You deserve respect. Allowing toxic people to bring turmoil and stress into your life time and again is a huge disservice you do to yourself. No matter how you are connected to this person, it is better to forgive, wish him or her well, and remove them from your life than to continue to be hurt.

42. Let Go of Bad Relationships

You deserve a true partner who loves you, respects you, and supports you. Don’t settle for anything less. Learn lessons from bad relationships so that you will have better ones in the future but don’t stay in relationships that don’t serve you.

43. Let Go of Your Job Title

A job title does not define who you are as a person. It’s just a job. It pays the bills. It doesn’t make you any less of a person or any more of a person.

44. Let Go of Work Pressures

Being a hard worker and a team player are wonderful traits to have. But there are many bosses and companies in general out there who will take advantage of your untiring nature. You deserve time off, you deserve a good work-life balance, and you deserve uninterrupted vacation time.

45. Let Go of Toxic Jobs

No job is worth getting physically or emotionally sick over. If you find yourself in a toxic work environment, start making a plan to get out of it as soon as possible.

46. Let Go of Complaints

Things go wrong sometimes. They just do. When you allow yourself to complain to others about every little thing, complaining becomes a very difficult habit to break. Instead, be patient, kind, and understanding when things go wrong and you will be a much happier person.

47. Let Go of Resentment

People will say things occasionally that you do not agree with or that even hurt you. But allowing yourself to get so easily offended and lash out is a poor choice that will only hurt you. It is much better to just move on or to discuss your feelings calmly with that other person.

48. Let Go of Excuses

It’s okay to make mistakes. Own them, learn from them, and move forward. Taking ownership of your faults shows maturity and wisdom and will lead to far greater happiness than constantly making excuses for your bad decisions or behavior.

49. Let Go of Social Media Appearances

In a world of filtered photos and gushing social media posts it’s hard not to think that everyone else is better looking, has more money, and is happier than you are. Remember that people only share a snippet of their lives on social media and in the workplace. You are exactly where you need to be in your life and what everyone pretends to be doing in their lives doesn’t matter.

50. Let Go of Imposter Syndrome

You’re worthy of love, success, and happiness in this lifetime. It is time to stop allowing yourself to feel like you are not good enough. Go for that job, ask your crush out, or start your own business.

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Brooke’s Top Picks For Regret-Free Books

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I’ve done some really stupid things in my life. I’ve put my foot in my mouth more times than I care to admit. I’ve made some seriously questionable fashion choices. And I’ve stayed in bad relationships for far too long. And you know without question that you have too.

Oh well.

I don’t regret any of it. All of my past experiences led me right to where I am today, and I’m happier now more than ever.

It’s up to you to make the same choice for yourself. Decide today to start living without regret and move forward into the life you’ve always wanted.

Sources

• National Center For Biotechnology Information: What We Regret Most … and Why
• Springer Open: Past and Future Regret and Missed Opportunities: An Experimental Approach On Separate Evaluation and Different Time Frames
• University of Michigan: Regret: A Theoretical and Conceptual Analysis

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What steps can you take toward living without regrets? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.