The 3 Biggest Regrets in Life (How to Avoid Them)

I read an interview recently with the author of a new book, The Three Regrets: Inspirational Stories and Practical Advice for Love and Forgiveness at Life’s End. The author, Tenzin Kiyosaki, is an interfaith hospice chaplain at a hospital system, and she has witnessed the power of regret in the lives of many of her dying patients and their family members.

In life and in business, we all have regrets. Even those who live by the motto, “no regrets” may have a change of heart when it’s their time to go.

And yet, with each regret, we have a choice. As long as we still have breath in our bodies, we can take those regrets and do something constructive with them, or we can hold onto them for another day, another year, another decade.

As you read through these 3 common regrets, imagine for a moment that you only have a short time left to live. Which of these regrets would you feel? What conversations would you need to have in order to bring you peace?

You can give yourself the gift of clearing up those regrets and having those conversations now so that you don’t have to live with anguish for the rest of your life.

Regret #1: Not Saying What You Need to Say

Maybe you owe someone an apology that has been difficult to put into words. Maybe you don’t express your appreciation and care as often as you should. Maybe you need to ask someone for acknowledgment but you’ve been putting it off.

One regret I hear often from my Celeste Giordano Coaching clients is that it’s easier to put off difficult conversations for some unspecified time in the future. But that won’t create the change you are looking for. And as Kiyosake reminds us, we never know when our time on Earth is up.

Express your love, gratitude, and care for those around you continually. And don’t shy away from hard conversations either.

Regret #2: Not Granting Forgiveness

This regret might be more common than any other, according to Kiyosaki. Just think about all of the people you are holding grudges against, waiting for apologies that never come, and feeling bitterness towards. If you were to quantify how much of your time you spend denying forgiveness to others, is all that time worth it? Is any amount of time worth it?

Even worse, we don’t readily forgive ourselves. We hold onto times we’ve messed up, given less than 100%, and not been the models of Christian charity we wish we were.

But Kiyosaki writes quoting Buddha, “Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else – you are the one who gets burned.”

When your time comes, do you want to feel long-held anger – or the feeling of peace that comes from forgiveness? Give yourself the gift of forgiving others, even if that means having a heart-to-heart conversation to make your feelings known. Give yourself the additional gift of forgiving yourself for past mistakes.

Regret #3: Not Fulfilling Your Dreams

Whether it’s striking out on your own and starting a business or climbing Mt. Everest, just about everyone has a dream. And yet, too many people reach the end of life without accomplishing theirs.

Kiyosaki urges people to take time to think about what it is they really want, and what’s stopping them from pursuing those goals. In business, it’s all too easy to feel as though there are insurmountable obstacles to achieving your dreams. It might be a lack of connections, lack of money, or lack of time that hold you back. It helps to put obstacles down on paper and quantify what you’ve perceived to be insufficient.

Your dreams very well may be closer than you think. Like everything has a season, there may be steps you can begin to take now to make your dream a reality. For example, if you want to travel the world, create a savings plan now so you can afford the trips when you have time off. If you want to start a new business, take an hour each evening or early morning to begin working on your dream. An hour a day may not sound like much, but it adds up faster than putting your dream off another day.

Imagine living the rest of your life without any regrets. Sounds like a gift, doesn’t it?

At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I work with entrepreneurs and sales professionals to develop the daily habits that will generate the results they seek – with no regrets. If you want a guiding hand as you fulfill your dream, contact me today.

Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “DoublePlusTM” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with 40 years of experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.

To learn more about Celeste, click here.

Want to use this article? Please feel free to use this content as long as you keep it in its original format and include a link to the original post and Celeste Giordano’s brief bio.

At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I work with each client to implement the strategies they’ve been missing that will enable them to break through barriers preventing them from the success they know they are capable of. Contact me today to find your future clients who just don’t know what they’re missing.