Anyway, my only piece of advice to them which I remember reading somewhere is – no one on his/her deathbed has ever said “I should have spent more time at work!” And not that I am saying that we shouldn’t work hard or work long hours but rather we should learn how to work smarter so we’re able to do all the important things in the office within reasonable hours so we’ve time left for our personal pursuits.
Incidentally, I chanced upon an article entitled “9 things no one wants to regret when they’re older”. Sharing with you a condensed version:
1. Not spending enough time smiling with the people you love. Don’t get so caught up in the rat race, working 50+ hours a week, to the point where you are too stressed and exhausted to enjoy your closest relationships. By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to live on less money, and thus work fewer hours and enjoy more of what matters most.
2. Holding a grudge and never forgiving someone you care about. We’ve all been hurt by another person at some point – we were treated poorly, trust was broken, hearts were hurt. It not only causes us to be unhappy, but it can strain or ruin our relationships, distract us from work and family and other important things, and make us reluctant to open up to new things and people. We get trapped in a cycle of anger and hurt, and miss out on the beauty of life as it happens.
3. Fulfilling everyone else’s dreams, instead of your own. Have the courage to live a life true to you, not the life others expect of you. Make time to pursue your passion, no matter how busy you are or what anyone else says.
As Steve Jobs once said:“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
4. Not being honest about how you feel. Say what you need to say, and never apologize for showing your feelings. Many people suppress their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settle for carrying the weight of their own silence. Give yourself permission to feel a full range of emotions. When you’re in touch with what you’re feeling, you’re more likely to understand the situation at hand and resolve it instead of avoiding it.
5. Being foolish and irresponsible with your finances. When you spend less than you make, you buy lifestyle flexibility and freedom. You are buying the ability to say yes to the things that matter, because you’re saving on the things that don’t. Money can bring comfort, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying that comfort. But it’s important to spend money on the things that truly matter to you, and let go of spending that does not add value to your life.
6. Getting caught up in needless drama and negativity. There comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it. Staying out of other people’s drama is an incredibly effective way to simplify your life and reduce stress. Surround yourself with positive people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad, so you can focus on the good. Life really is too short to be anything but positive and happy.
7. Never making your own happiness a priority. To find true happiness in life you have to follow your heart and intuition. You have to be who you are, and design a lifestyle and career that fulfills you – no matter what that entails or what people say about it... Life isn’t about pleasing everybody.
8. Never making a difference in the lives of others. In life, you get what you put in. When you make a positive impact in someone else’s life, you also make a positive impact in your own life. ..making a positive difference in one person’s life can change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world.
9. Failing because you were scared to fail. If your fear of failure, or of not being perfect, has driven you to take the safe road of doing nothing, you have already failed. Accept the fact that everyone fails, but don’t accept the act of not trying as your form of failure.
To sum it up, here’s an insightful quote from the article:In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take, relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make.
