What do you think is the number one regret of the dying?
That they didn’t work harder? Fulfill somebody else’s expectations? Or that they made more money?
Of course that’s not what they regret.
Read on to learn about what people really regret before they die and how you can use this knowledge to make sure you live a meaningful life.
The most common regret people have on their deathbeds
Bronnie Ware, an Australian nurse, cared for the dying in the last three to 12 weeks of life for several years. Though you might not expect it, working in an environment were death was always present taught her a lot about life.
One thing she was particularly interested in was what her patients regretted now that their life was almost over. The answers were so fascinating that she made them into a book called “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying“.
The most commonly named regret:
“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.”, Bronnie says “When people realise 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 honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.“
Wow.
If not living our dreams is the most common regret of the dying, then why do we spend so much time trying to build a life around money, status and the expectations of others?
It doesn’t make sense. The only thing that does is to dare living our dreams.
How to give your life meaning: Live your dreams
If you’re anything like me, reading about what people regret on their deathbed makes you think about the way you’re currently living your life. It makes me want to go out there and live BIG, do the things I’ve always wanted to do not just on occasion, but to build a lifestyle around it.
So I can live a life that matters.
As a matter of fact, this is what Bright Little Socks is all about. I’m here to support you in living your dreams so you can create a life that has meaning to you. One that you’re passionate about. I do this not only because I believe that this is the only way to live, I do this because I believe that happy people will change the world, and helping you live a life you love is how I play my part in it.
Now what’s the first step to living your dreams? It’s to find your dream. If you don’t know what your biggest dreams are, which is the case for most of us when we’re just starting out, you cannot take the steps necessary to create a life you love
That’s why I’m creating a series about finding your dream to help you take the very first step it takes to live a meaningful life.
Over the coming weeks I’m going to share with you my best knowledge and lessons learned about everything you need to know to identify your own big dream.
It’s gonna be fun.
In the mean time, I want you to leave a comment and answer this one simple question:
Do you believe that living your dreams is vital to live a fulfilled life?
If yes, leave a comment telling me why you think it’s so important and what you’re currently doing to make sure you’re getting closer to your dreams.
If no, tell me more. Why do you think living your dreams doesn’t matter? Do you think it’s complete BS? Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear all about it.
Also, on a side note:
I’m still putting this content together right now. So, if you have any specific questions about finding your dreams, leave a comment asking your question, and I may be able to work it into this series.
Hey, Potential Rebel.
Need help creating a life you love? We got you covered. Weekly wisdom to help you live your best life delivered straight to your inbox.
***
image credit
Hi Iris,
Living your dreams is without a doubt the most important thing you can do. I am working towards my dream life and business each and every day. I do courses and workshops, read books, do research. Immerse myself in my true passion and interests. I believe the sky rocketing number of people suffering depression, stress, anxiety, dis-ease is due to having no meaning,no direction in life. They go to the Dr who wants to give them a pill to stop the symptoms. To try and make their lives slightly more bearable. They are basically being told to suck it up and get on with it. This has become the norm, and there’s nothing normal about it. When did being miserable become ok? I love the story of Bronnie Ware. It’s certainly a wake up call. If you are not happy with some area in your life then you must take action and do something about it. We need to start a revolution where the ‘norm’ is to be happy and fulfilled.
Glad to hear your working towards your dreams, Angela!
It’s true, miserable is the new normal. I and a lot of other amazing people out there are doing our best to make happy the norm. I think the revolution has already started.
Big YES! Great article again, Iris, if I wasn’t motivated to create ‘my’ life yet I would be now
So many people seem ‘jealous’ of seeing others spend weekends away, travel a lot, able to go outside when the sun strikes it’s first rays like last week. But really I only think they’re scared to give up on something they rely on: money. You know what (yeah, sure you know!) you don’t need money to be happy, you need to do what you like doing to be happy!
Lindy recently posted..5 Reasons to Be There at Launch Day
Haha, thanks Lindy.
I think a lot of people just don’t know that it’s possible to live like the riches do (travel, work from home, have lots of free time…) just through adjusting your lifestyle. If you know travel hacking you can go almost anywhere for cheap. If you build a location independent online business, guess what, you get to choose when you work and where you do it.
It does require a lot of hard work and you have to be able to deal with the uncertainty, but if you’re willing to give up your old routines and the perceived stability of your old life (and job), you can live on your own terms.
I’m not sure if it’s vital to actually live your dreams to have a fulfilling life but I think it is vital to try. Other things might surprise you along the way (like having a baby) and will keep you from fulfilling your dream. I think that’s ok, you found a new dream. Changing your mind is fine.
But to never try will make you feel like you missed out. Like you could have lived your dream but didn’t.
Looking forward to your posts on the topic
Interesting points, Vanessa. When I say “live your dreams” I mean the whole journey, not just the point where you’ve reached your dream of say, being financially independent, but also the journey and the process you go through while striving to reach your goal.
Yes, you need to live your dream bit it’s important to have a dream worth living. That means it shouldn’t be self indulgent but of service to others.
Peter Ewin Hall recently posted..Develop your poetic vision
Agree, Peter. But I’d say when you’re just starting out, it’s okay to have a ‘selfish’ dream, that’s just about you and maybe your family. I think the most important part is to start working towards any dream that is worthwhile for you. When you’ve grasped the concept that living your dreams is possible, you can start thinking about how you’re going to be of service to others (if your dream doesn’t already include that in some form).
I really appreciate your comments, Peter. Thanks for being part of the community.
Great post. Great blog. I really like the subtitle “Live like you mean it. Change the World.” I would perhaps replace or add a third sentence: “BE the change”. Change starts with one individual. Change starts with yourself.
Difficult to elaborate in a comment-wide-space but yes, I believe dreams are a means to live a meaningful life. They are a means to build a state of hapiness. They are a means but I would be cautious to say that fulfilled dreams is the only and absolute goal of life. Life is in perpetual movement. Life changes. You yourself change. Your dreams may change.
Thanks so much for your input! I’ve been thinking about changing the tagline for quiet a while and “be the change” is definitely one of the core concepts of Bright Little Socks. I’ll definitely consider it for our tagline 2.0
I truly think that living your dreams does matter. When I finally stopped doing what I thought other people wanted me to do and started doing what I wanted to do, following my dreams. My life has been showing meaning more and more each day, thanks for your post,:). In the end it doesn’t matter if our Grandmother didn’t aprove of what we wanted to do, if we were following our dreams and doing what we knew to be good. When we stop trying to please others we find that life is a lot more fulfilling.
hey my biggest dream is you know what……..difficult to say publicly here.it`s so sad.seriously.i can never even think of starting the journey.my biggest dream is to be with a woman.im a girl.i cant ever realize it.with all the responsibilities and the relationships i have with my family,and my commanding father.i cant ever do it.and until i die homosexuality won`t be legal here
Ami, thanks for sharing this with us.
Here’s the advice about bold and scary dreams that has helped me the most when I thought my dreams were impossible:
“No dreamer is ever too small; no dream is ever too big.” – Anonymous
“There is always a realistic way to fulfill any dream. There has never been a dream that you can’t have — at least, not the heart of it, not the part you love the most.” – Barbara Sher
“When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream.” – Paulo Coelho
And here’s a small piece of advice that has lead to great opportunities and allowed me to do things I thought were impossible:
Always challenge your assumptions.
hmmmmmmmmm
yeah
but
i cant even plan on such a dream ok
is sent you a message too
by the way you a girl?:P
just a joke
What’s up Iris
.
I agree. I believe our most important responsibility on this earth is to 1) identify our dream. The second most important thing is to go out and live it!
Beautifully articulated post. I hear your voice in the words.
Thanks Izzy. And I share your belief about dreams being our biggest responsibility. I believe it’s really hard to live a fulfilled + meaningful life without pursuing a dream.