Many things in life can cause regret if we don't do them. For example, not traveling when you had the chance can leave you regretting it later. Not learning a new skill can also lead to regrets. This blog post will discuss some things in life that can cause regret and what you can do about them.

What are some of life's biggest regrets?

Regret happens when we choose not to do something but think later that we should have done them as it may have given us happiness and fulfillment. The problem is that we will never know what will happen when we decide to do something. Of course, we can make all the plans and think carefully about what could happen if we choose to do something, but the future will only bring us uncertainty. We are unsure of what could happen after making a particular decision, so we pull back on doing them. We can get split on what we think we should do over what we want to do.

We may have visions of an ideal future at some point. However, we may hold back thinking because we become too busy with other things like work and daily responsibilities. So we choose not to pursue what we could have done now and believe maybe we can do it later, only for life to throw all sorts of surprises that prevents us from following our vision anymore. Regret can happen when our past dreams and visions are reawakened after holding them off while pursuing other things because circumstances occur. For example, we choose to get busy with work and do everything to earn money when deep inside, there are our deepest desires waiting to be fulfilled. We may think we have all the time to do them later, but we never know what can happen in our lives. Therefore, while you can, it's better to do something you want and don't wait for time and life to catch up with you. People have several common regrets later in their lives, and knowing them will give you an idea of what to pursue now while you still can.

1. Following your dreams and passions

One of the biggest regrets people can have in their lives is not following their dreams and passions. So many things can cause us to put our dreams on the sidelines. For example, we may have to do a job we don't necessarily like, but since it pays well, we end up doing it instead of the job that involves our passion but doesn't pay that much. The many things on our bucket list may rob us of time we could have spent pursuing our dreams. Maybe you didn't take the time to learn new skills to help you fulfill your dream. You can never run out of excuses for why you didn't follow your passion or vision. However, you control whether you want to do something if it is truly your desire.

Most people may think they can wait until retirement before they start fulfilling their dreams or passion. Not to sound paranoid, but there's no guarantee you are still in good condition, or even alive, to pursue your dreams and desires when you retire. So why wait if you can have the time to do them now. If something is your deepest desire, you can take the time to do it now by making good use of your time and effort, even for a little bit every day.

2. Making amends with people

Some people make us feel bad and commit wrongful acts toward us throughout life. But then, depending on the gravity of the offense, it can be easy or hard to forgive someone. Some wounds end up lasting a long time. We can't bring ourselves to forgive somebody who did something grave or continuously tormented us in our lives. So we get old, carrying a grudge that can constantly haunt us.

As they say, forgiveness benefits us more than the offender. However, it's not easy to do. But here's the thing: if your conscience is still getting bugged because you haven't forgiven someone, that person still has a place in your life. Your relationship with the person may not be the same after forgiveness, but the person still plays a part in your life. It is especially true if the one who wronged you is one of your family members or a friend. So learn to forgive if you can. You never know if the person may suddenly disappear someday in your life or if you will be the one that will disappear. Amendments won't be possible anymore if such a thing happens.

3. Being honest with yourself

Some people put up an act while interacting with others. They create a persona that acts in a way they think others will find pleasing. For example, our personalities in the workplace may not exactly be the same as at home. Also, we may fake it out with certain people in our lives while acting differently in front of our friends and other people close to us. Working a persona can make us do and chase the wrong things for compliance and pleasing people.

Being dishonest with ourselves throughout our lives can be exhausting. In addition, having to act whenever you are in a particular situation or the company of some people can be bothersome. So why not just be true to yourself before you start regretting it later? Stop wasting your time caring about the opinion of every single people in your life. The truth is that people may not care too much about you; they probably want to say something for the sake of it. Unless somebody's opinion of you has grave consequences when not followed, you can cast away your fear of being judged and live life according to who you are. There are various ways to express yourself. Being honest with yourself can make a difference in your life.

4. Conquering fears

We create goals in life. However, not all of them get fulfilled. Some of them, we choose to postpone or abandon entirely. We may make such decisions out of fear: fear of what could happen by choosing to do something more daring than usual, something that requires moving out of your comfort zone, or conquering a phobia. Great success may lie behind such decisions, but one may choose a safer, more comfortable path because of fear.

A path of safety and comfort is not entirely wrong. However, you may make statements later in your life, saying things like, "I wish I could have taken that opportunity," or "My life could have been different if only I did that." If you don't want to have a dozen potential regrets later in your life, it will be better to try taking the path less traveled while making careful decisions and preparations in case things fail. It's better to try doing something rather than not doing them at all and having serious regret later. Who knows what can happen? And sometimes in life, you have to take chances to obtain something good.

5. Wishing for more time

As a child, it may seem like we have a lot of time in our lives, but as we grow up, we may realize how limited it is, especially once we start working and our daily lives become filled with work and responsibilities. A massive chunk of our time gets spent on work, but our lives are not all about work. Sure, we do need to work to earn money, but it shouldn't reach a point where we sacrifice everything for it. The things that we sacrifice are the ones that can cause regret later and makes you say you wish you could have spent more time with them. Things like spending time with the people you love, doing things that give you happiness, or pursuing goals that matter to you are things you can do now instead of putting them off later. We can't turn back time; we can only make good use of it. Take a moment to spend time on what matters to you.

Why wait when you can do it now

Life is full of choices. It can be challenging to see a completely clear picture of what our decisions may do to us. Out of fear or hypothesized scenarios in our heads, we choose to relegate some of our options and pick the safest path. We think we have all the time to return to them later, only for life to start throwing stuff at us, and then we never get the chance to do them. Some people may also not be honest with themselves and dismiss what they like, only for their desires to resurface later, and they don't have the strength or resources to do them anymore.

You don't have to wait for retirement or until you are old to gain fulfillment and happiness in your life. You can obtain them now if you want by doing the things you want and what your inner voice tells you to do. People's opinions and daily obligations may get in the way, but if you want something, you can always make time and effort to obtain them. Life can be too short to deprive yourself of meaning and happiness. So instead of filling your life with missed opportunities and regretting what you could have done, won't it be nice to reminisce about wonderful things you have done in life when you are already old?