5 Ways To Live With No Regrets

After going through my divorce and working through healing my heartbreak I took a great deal of time and reflected on lesssons learned and what I wish I knew. Looking back the one things I wish I did was I wish that I allowed myself to be happier. To make that more clear I wish I knew that being happy was an option. I wish I understood that I did not need to wait for some BIG moment of special something to make me happy. I allowed myself to believe that happiness was not an option for me.After taking some time to reflect on this it made me wonder how many other things I am committed to now will I regret later. I did some research on the top regrets of those whom are dying. ( I know not the most exciting topic in the world-but much needed)

This is what they said they wish they did

• Called more friends
• Had more courage to express self
• Not worked so hard
• Lived a life true to themselves self

When I think about my life 10,20 30, 40 or even 50 years from now I start to wonder what choices I would make that I would regret. And more importantly how I can avoid making those choices altogether.  I love love love talking to the elderly because they have so much wisdom and I gain so much insight when I have a chance to just sit still and listen. I was at a conference about three weeks ago and had the honor to chat with a 75 year old man, an 85 year old man, and a 91 year old woman. After my research I compiled a list of the top five choices that we are making today that in 10 20, 30+ years we will likely regret making. To be honest most of these I am NOT surprised about.

1. Trying to keep up with others- you know from time to time you’re likely guilty of trying to keep up with the Jones's. In today’s day and age on social media that’s what we see....all the GOOD stuff going on in other's lives. And we assume that something is wrong with us because we’re not traveling we’re not getting married we’re not having kids we don’t have a big enough house or a luxury car but the reality is people post what do you want us to see not necessarily their struggles necessarily their setbacks. So use your energy and put it into your life instead of trying to keep up with others. If we spent as much time dedicating to being the best version of ourselves into living a life that we love not in comparison to others we wouldn’t be wasting energy keeping up with peoples highlight reels.
2. Overspending- the things we often spend money on are not the things that will make us happy. The reality is when we are on our death bed all the shoes that we had, the nice Louis Vuitton purse that we got is not going to keep us company. We have to stop wasting money on things that don’t matter. We need to stop throwing away money on things that ultimately lose value the moment we walk away with them. Money is valuable and so we need to spend it on things that last!!! This can include memories, like vacations or retirement accounts or even donating to charities for a good cause.
3. Holding grudges. To be honest this was a tough one for me. Life is far to short to hold a grudge. You can forgive someone and still set a boundary but holding on to unforgiveness is truly hurting you. For years I have held grudges because it seemed like the best way to protect myself. But what I came to see was that holding onto unforgiveness making it difficult for me to be able to move forward or to trust people. There is no way for me to truly prove it, but I’m sure I missed out on a lot of good relationships a lot of healthy conversations because of my unwillingness to communicate. So stop holding grudges it doesn’t benefit anyone. Forgiveness and moving forward frees you!
4. Being lazy is another thing that I know you will regret. Being lazy seems like the thing to do because you’re tired or you’re exhausted the reality is life goes a lot quicker than we all can imagine. So in several years later you never want to look back and say wow I wish that I had tried this when I was younger and more capable or I wish that I had gone here when I was able to. Start looking for reasons to live your life today because you never know when your last day will come.
5. Not risking fear! Man this a tough one, because I avoid any situation that evokes fear like the plague. Do you ever look back over your life and realize that you have allowed fear to take control of EVERYTHING?
   How many times have you been held back because of fear? We have to stop getting overly comfortable in our comfort zone...there is no growth there. When we stay in our comfort zone we risk losing soooo much. I have been working with a lot of clients who have BIG dreams but struggle with letting fear take over. Because they are controlled by fear they are unable to reach the success that they desire. Fear keeps us from living up to our greatest potential. One of the best ways to make positive changes in your life is to take more risks. Life is more exciting and rewarding when you’re willing to put yourself out there and take a few chances. Plus, the most successful people take more risks. In my process of learning to take more chances, I have come to embrace the truth that fear is risky, but it can also be the very thing that changes your life.

 Are you living a life that allows you have no regrets?If you recognize that pain, heartbreak or hurt is stopping you from being the best version of you and living your best life you need my choose healing course. This is a FREE course that walks you through the process of identifying where you're stuck, healing your hurt and reinventing yourself.Take a chance to change your life sign up here: https://nicolyawilliams.com/choosehealingchallenge/