Photo Courtesy: Nikos Koutoulas
At times, random thoughts that spring out of nowhere, seem to show us the things that we want in our lives. Such thoughts provide us the much needed trigger to bring about a metamorphosis in our outlook towards life.
One such random thought that hit me recently was the “list of regrets”. What if we suddenly turned old, looked back upon our lives and wrote down all the things that we could not do or could not achieve? What would such a list look like? Would this list be strong enough to jolt us out of our complacency? Would this list change our outlook towards life?
The list could be a big one or a small one depending upon the number and nature of life events one experiences in life. However, most of the lists would contain similar elements.
For example, a typical list would be something like: I…
• Did not devote enough time to my family
• Did not try hard enough
• Did not plan things in advance
• Gave up too easily and early
• Never pursued dreams & aspirations
• Could not retain friendship
• Broke someone’s trust
• Lived more in the past than the present
• Wallowed more in misery
And the list goes on….
Do not judge yourself about the rationale for what you are writing.
Writing things down is believed to be one of the best ways to bring out one’s hidden, subconscious thoughts to the fore, thoughts which otherwise one wouldn’t have thought existed. Writing is also believed to free up the mind, bring focus and clarity of thought.
Once you are done with the list, cast a glance at it and you will be surprised at the entries you have made. You would understand the areas where you are lacking right now or the areas where you need to work on diligently to live a more happy and satisfied life. Then slowly and steadily start making the necessary changes in your lives.
One should read this list regularly to know where one stands after making the necessary changes to cover some of the regrets mentioned in the list.
I strongly suggest everyone to try this experiment and write out his or her “list of regrets”. Go ahead, make the list, at least for fun! Believe me you will be astonished at what you have written!
