Regrets can be defined as what we feel when we realize that our current situation might be better if we decided to act differently. It's a backward looking, unpleasant feeling where you blame yourself and wish you could undo the past. Regret for inaction or paths not taken do not go away as easily. Intense or repetitive regret leads to depression and anxiety. Short-term regret is focused on things we did rather than did not do, whereas long-term regret shows the reverse pattern. Regret can be a healthy thing if you use it to get motivated to undo any wrongful things you did and make better, more careful decisions in the future.
1 Don't do business with anyone who has a history of suing people.
2 Don't believe all you hear. Don’t spend all you have and Don’t sleep all you want.
3 Marry a woman you love to talk to. As you get older, her conversational skills will be as important as any other.
4 Remember the 3 Rs: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.
5 Call your mother or father(or caregiver when you were young) more often.
6 Apologize immediately when you lose your temper, especially to children.
7 Compliment at least one person each day.
8 Watch a sunrise at least once a year.
9 Never say anything uncomplimentary about your wife or children in the presence of others.
10 Look people in the eye.
11 Say "thank you" a lot.
12 Say "please" a lot.
13 Buy whatever kids are selling on card tables in their front yards.
14 Donate two pints of blood every year.
15 Admit your mistakes.
16 Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.
17 Choose a charity in your community and support it generously with your time and money.
18 Never cheat.
19 Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly.
20 Pray not for things, but for wisdom and courage.
21 Never take action when you're angry.
22 In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
23 Work on having a good posture.
24 Enter a room with purpose and confidence.
25 Never pay in full for work before it's completed.
26 Don't gossip.
27 When facing a difficult task, act as though it is impossible to fail.
28 Don't spread yourself too thin.
29 Learn to say no politely and quickly.
30 Don't expect life to be fair.
31 Never underestimate the power of forgiveness.
32 Instead of using the word problem, try substituting the word opportunity.
33 Never walk out on a quarrel with your wife.
34 If you think you'll using something for five years or longer, buy the best you can afford.
35 When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things, you didn't do more than the ones you did.
36 When faced with a serious health problem, get multiple medical opinions.
37 Wage war against littering.
38 Don't procrastinate. Do what needs doing when it needs to be done.
39 Get your priorities straight.
40 Don't be afraid to say "I don't know."
41 Make a list of 25 things you want to experience before you die. Carry it in your wallet and refer to it often.
42 Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt, but it's the only way to live life completely.
43 In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
44 Eat a piece of chocolate to cure bad breath from onions or garlic.
45 Never remind someone of a kindness or act of generosity you have shown him or her. Bestow a favor and forget it.
46 Every once in a while ask yourself the question, If money weren't a consideration, what would I like to be doing?
47 Write a short note inside the front cover when giving a book as a gift.
48 Never give a gift that's not beautifully wrapped.
49 Learn to say "I love you" in multiple languages
50 Don't confuse comfort with happiness.
51 Check for toilet paper before sitting down.
52 Keep your private thoughts private.
53 Get organized. Know where you are headed. But if something wonderful and unexpected comes along, be flexible enough to follow it.
54 Remember that nothing important ever happens until someone takes a chance.
55 Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
56 Hire people more for their judgment than for their talents.
57 Love someone who doesn't deserve it.
58 Regardless of the situation, react with class.
59 Remember other people's birthdays.
60 Never mention being on a diet.
61 Have a firm handshake.
62 Plant a tree on your birthday.
63 Be the first to say, "Hello."
64 Buy great books even if you never read them.
65 Learn three clean jokes.
66 Floss your teeth
67 Ask for a raise when you feel you've earned it.
68 Return all things you borrow.
69 Teach some kind of class at some point in your life.
70 Take lots of snapshots and smile your heart out in pictures.
71 Take a kid to the zoo.
72 Write "thank you" notes promptly.
73 Give thanks before every meal.
74 Vote.
75 Surprise loved ones with little unexpected gifts.
76 Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
77 Save ten percent of what you earn.
78 Make the best of bad situations.
79 Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.
80 Take a photography course, it will help you see beauty in everything
81 Let people pull in front of you when you're stopped in traffic.
82 Give to charity all the clothes you haven't worn during the past three years.
83 Never forget your anniversary.
84 Don't take good health for granted.
85 When someone wants to hire you, even if it's for a job you have little interest in, talk to them. Never close the door on an opportunity until you've had a chance to hear the offer in person.
86 Avoid sarcastic remarks.
87 Forget the Joneses.
88 Recycle old newspapers, bottles, and cans.
89 Never invest more in the stock market than you can afford to lose.
90 Choose your life's mate carefully. From this one decision will come ninety percent of all your happiness or misery.
91 Make it a habit to do nice things for people who'll never find out.
92 Attend class reunions.
93 Lend only those books you never care to see again.
94 Always have something beautiful in sight, even if it's just a daisy in a jelly glass.
95 Learn how to read a financial report.
96 Tell your kids often how terrific they are and that you trust them.
97 Take a brisk thirty-minute walk every day.
98 Treat yourself to a massage on your birthday.
99 When dining with clients or business associates, never order more than one cocktail or one glass of wine. If no one else is drinking, don't drink at all.
Adapted from Life's Little Instruction Book: 511 Suggestions, Observations, and Reminders on How to Live a Happy and Rewarding Life. Image Courtesy: Sam Cockman (license)
Related External Articles
- The Biggest Regret most people have in Life (psychologytoday.com)
- Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines Talks about his Regrets (entrepreneur.com)
- Forget Regret: You’ve been conned into a Regret Game (psychologytoday.com)
