Is it better to regret something you didn’t do or something you already did? This is one of the most frequent questions related to our life and the answer is obvious.

Although we tend to convince ourselves that taking a risk and doing something our heart tells us to do may end up tragical, deep inside we know that we’re making a mistake.

Not taking a risk in life is the biggest risk we can take, and if we don’t risk for the things we love or the things we want to achieve, regret is going to visit us every day when we grow old. Here are the 37 things you will definitely regret in the later stages of your life. Read carefully.

  1. You didn’t travel when you had the chance. Traveling becomes harder when we’re older and definitely more expensive if you have a family you need to take with you.
  2. You didn’t learn a new language when you had the chance. Although it’s not impossible to learn a new language when older, it’s more difficult because it requires a sharper memory.
  3. You wasted your time on bad relationships without future. Everyone regrets staying in a bad relationship that didn’t work. Next time you get stuck in a relationship without future, learn how to let go as fast as you can. Otherwise, you will regret losing your time when you grow old.
  4. You were too lazy to use sunscreen. Moles, wrinkles or even skin cancer and all of this because you were too lazy to use sunscreen. Prevent it from happening and start taking more care of your skin because you will certainly regret you didn’t when you grow older.
  5. Missing the concerts of your favorite musicians. This is probably one of the worst things you can regret. We all love music and missing the concert of your favorite musicians is something you will regret for the rest of your life. Your excuses of being sick, broke or tired are not going to work when you grow old.
  6. You were stuck in your comfort zone. Being afraid to do something makes you stuck in your comfort zone – something you’ll definitely regret when older. Fear is just an illusion.
  7. You didn’t exercise. When you reach your 50 or 60, you will definitely dream of what you could have done with your body. However, it’s never too late to exercise and activate your body.
  8. You let yourself be defined by gender roles. You will regret not doing something because you waited someone else takes the first step. For example, waiting for someone to kiss you first.
  9. You didn’t quit the job you hated. Working what you hate is just a waste of time and energy. Not to mention that you can weaken your mind by doing something you can’t stand.
  10. You didn’t try harder in school. Although grades are not more important than your health and happiness or can’t measure with talent, you will regret all those thighs you could learn at school but you didn’t because you were bored or preferred to waste your time on parties.
  11. You were not aware of your natural beauty. And wasted most of the time worrying about how you look or how you need to makeup or dress in order to look even more beautiful.
  12. You avoided the words ‘I love you’. When people grow old they don’t care if their love wasn’t returned but care about how they felt and why they didn’t express emotions at the time.
  13. You didn’t listen to some of your parents’ advice. Although parents aren’t always right, there will always be advised you knew were right but didn’t listen. And you’re definitely going to regret that when you grow older and your parents are gone.
  14. You spent your best years being obsessed with yourself. And didn’t care about anything else except for your own feelings and your own life.
  15. You cared about other people’s opinion. All those stuff you didn’t do only because you were afraid of what others would think of you is probably the stuff you will regret when old.
  16. You realized the dreams of others instead of your own. Although supporting others and helping them realize their dreams is nice, you will regret not putting your dreams at first place.
  17. You didn’t move on fast enough. What’s holding people from being happy is their inability to move on faster over those who left them or overcome a failure/lost in life. And they usually realize that moving one is the key to happiness when they grow older.
  18. You didn’t forgive others. Forgiving others doesn’t make you weak but stronger because although someone doesn’t deserve forgiveness, you deserve your peace. And without forgiveness, you can’t be peaceful. So move on and forgive before you die full of hatred.
  19. You didn’t stand up for yourself. Always stand up for yourself and for what you believe. Even if it means standing alone. Otherwise, you will regret not being brave enough when older.
  20. You never volunteered or volunteered to little. Making this world a better place is something everyone can do but not everyone wants to. And most of the people regret not volunteering or volunteering to little when they had the chance and time.
  21. You didn’t take enough care of your teeth. Your shiny Hollywood smile won’t last forever, especially if you don’t take enough care of your teeth when younger.
  22. You never asked the questions you wanted to ask your grandparents. They will die one day and all your questions will remain unanswered. You will regret not asking them something you wanted to know about them or their life when you grow older.
  23. You worked too much. And never had time to dedicate to your family and friends who were always there for you, even when you weren’t there for you.
  24. You never learned how to cook yourself an awesome meal. Learning how to fill your stomach by preparing your own food is irreplaceable. And if you never learn how to cook something you could eat every day, you will regret it when you grow old and there’s no one to prepare you something you can actually eat on a daily basis.
  25. You didn’t live the moment. Instead of living the moment, people grieve over the past and worry about their future. They don’t realize that life is what happens when we make plans for the future or cry over something/someone from our past.
  26. You failed to finish what you started. You wanted to realize your dreams but you decided to quit for some unknown reasons, even to yourself. If you want to do something, you will find a way but if you don’t – excuses are always there to help you justify yourself. However, once you grow old, the excuses will leave your side and let you hand out with regret. And regret is the worst company ever.
  27. You didn’t learn a party trick. And you were always the boring one at parties only because you were shy and scared to do something new and exciting in front of your friends.
  28. You let yourself be defined by cultural expectations. You didn’t do something you want it because you thought that it would be inappropriate. Well, guess what? Regret doesn’t care about cultural expectations and you will definitely regret not doing something only because other would see it as inappropriate.
  29. You couldn’t accept that your friends have their own life. And you were always angry at them for hanging out with other friends or spending time alone.
  30. You didn’t play with your kids enough. One of the things you will definitely regret when older and your kids aren’t around anymore is not playing with them when they were little.
  31. You never took a bigger risk, especially when it came to love. And you will regret it when old because as we said before – not taking a risk in life is the biggest risk you can take.
  32. Not developing contacts and networking. Because having friends all around the world can benefit you in many ways, especially when it comes to finding a good job.
  33. You worried too much. And most of the things you will worry about will never happen.
  34. You didn’t avoid drama. Who needs drama anyway? You will realize that drama is an unnecessary waste of time and energy when you grow older.
  35. You didn’t spend more time with the ones you loved. You will realize this when they are gone and you are old and bald.
  36. You never performed in front of others. You always avoided karaoke? Or dancing in front of others? You will definitely regret it when you grow older.
  37. You were never grateful. Despite everything you had in life, you were never grateful for what you had but always felt sad and frustrated about what you didn’t have. That’s a bad habit and will make you regret not being grateful when you enter the later stages of your life.

Would you add something to the list?

Based On: Simple Capacity