7 Things in Life that we end up regretting

There are just some things in Life that we regret. A missed opportunity, A broken heart, A loss. Some are in our control, others are not. Here, I am going to share with you all, the top seven things in life one ends up regretting.

1) Not making enough time for friends and family

You might be wondering why this one has entered the list so soon. Well, its because people have started recognizing the importance of this one. Even then, it ends up pretty high on anyone's list of regrets. Making time for friends and family seems like something that we would be doing naturally, most often than not, we don't even realize when we stop doing it. So busy are we, chasing our dreams and successes that we leave behind the very people we can ever share it with.

Maybe, it's the fast pace of today's lifestyle or maybe it's the false sense of closeness that so surrounds us these days. Whatever might be the reason, the truth is that, sometimes without even realizing so, we end up distancing the people we wouldn't even dream of hurting.

I have been guilty of doing so time and again, but fortunately I recognize the cracks before they can become chasms. There would always be moments when we are so overwhelmed with life that we can't even make time for ourselves, but every once in a while; we shall lay worries aside, forget all incomplete tasks and just have some good time with the people we love. Trust me, these are the moments we are gonna cherish for a lifetime!

2) Not listening to yourself

The society we live in, is of birds of same feather flocking together. Is it any surprise then, that sometimes we hide our true self, just to fit in? To feel accepted in a new place, a new group; people often end up lying to others and themselves. Sometimes we reach such a point that we don't even recognize ourselves. But would it be so bad to be different? To be unique? To have a different opinion than others around you? After all, isn't that what makes us all individuals.

By trying to be someone else, we are betraying only us. In being someone we aren't, we end up losing sight of who we are.

So, by not listening to yourself, you are just paving your way to regrets. Sooner or later, you are going to realize the futility of it all and bemoan the loss of who you are, who you could have been.

3) Not giving our all

We all have dreams. We all have aspirations. We all have ambitions.

But not all of us work enough to fulfill those. Not all of us are willing to put in the time. Not all of us are giving it our all!

It's not only about our dreams, by the way. sometimes, maybe it's just our duty. Whatever, the case might be, if we have a task ahead of us and if we aren't putting our cent percent into it, then we are just gonna end up regretting it.

Sometime, or the other, it's gonna catch up to us.

The feeling, that we could have done better, but we didn't; We could've made a difference but we didn't.

Isn't it better to know that we tried our best, and let whatever happens happen; than knowing we didn't do all that we could have?

4) Not standing up

Whether it is for our self or for others, if we aren't standing up for our beliefs, our values then we are deluding ourselves by thinking that we have any!

Sure, we might not be able to change the world completely or abolish poverty, hunger, crimes...but we can make a difference. And all we have to do is, be firm in our beliefs.

So, if the next time you see someone harassing a fellow human being, do something! I am not saying pick up a fight, but you can probably notify authorities. When you see someone in need that you can help, do so. Stand up! For humanity and morality. For these are the very things which make us human, the very things that can ensure the survival of humanity.

5) Not thinking from their perspective 

It could be your life partner, business partner, boss, child, friend, parent...anyone you are having an argument with. In the heat of the moment, we all end up doing or saying things that we don't really mean, sometimes to rile the other person up or to hurt them as much as we are hurting. But if only we could see things from their perspective; we could probably be kinder, be more compassionate.

If we would just, stop for a moment and think; stop and see things for what they are. Maybe we won't say and do all those things that we are only gonna regret later. For all we know, the person who took our taxi away needed it to get to the hospital, or the colleague who is prone to blowing up spontaneously now-a-days might be going through a miscarriage, or your daughter you just screamed at, who entered home five hours late and drenched might have had her heart broken for the first time.

Sometimes, we are just so caught up in our own troubles that we fail to acknowledge or understand that others might be going through a hard time too. And we, just end up worsening it and then regretting it. Wouldn't it be better, if we see things from other's perspective every now and then. Would save us a lot of regret perhaps.

6) Not hearing someone out

Now this is similar to the above one, but not quite. We all have those moments of doubt about someone, sometimes we don't wait for an explanation. We just assume things, we jump to conclusions and we become so stubborn that we don't give other's a chance to explain themselves.

We end up losing a beautiful relationship, the perfect candidate for the job because of our misconceptions and the inability to hear someone out. This kind of behavior stems from being betrayed before, from being hurt. But just, think of all the things we would be missing out if we let our negative experience define us this way.

Next time, when someone does something to hurt you, give them one chance to explain. I am not asking you to forget it and let go, simply, that you try to understand why they did what they did. After that, do what you think would be best in your self-interest. Maybe hearing them out could help you out in detecting such behavior in future.

7) Not going for any new experiences

You start dying slowly

If you become a slave of your habits,

Walking everyday on the same paths…

If you do not change your routine,

If you do not wear different colours

Or you do not speak to those you don’t know.

This beautiful excerpt from Muere Lentamente ( You start dying slowly) by Martha Medeiros, often wrongly attributed to Pablo Naruda, beautifully explains how tragic it is not to experience new things.

When you don't read new books, don't visit new cities, don't make new friends; when you have fallen in a rut, then my friend a part of you has slowly died. There could be no regret greater than dying before you are truly dead. When you don't challenge yourself and are content with stagnation, then you are not really living. You are merely existing. 

Go out there, meet new people, learn new things, find a new you.

Let us know in the comments below, what are your ways of dealing with regret!