What the living can learn from the Top Five regrets of the dying
Bronnie Ware is one of life’s truly good people.
Born and raised in Australia she has devoted a large proportion of her life to helping people in the most needy of circumstances: their final months of life.
As a palliative care nurse she has been at the bedside of those people making their final steps of this journey called life.
Facing one’s own mortality brings unparalleled clarity of thought and a very transparent understanding of what is and what isn’t important in life.
She wrote a bestselling book The Top Five Regrets of the Dying - A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing.
The book charts the following five key regrets that emerged from very honest discussions with her patients over the years:
- I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
- I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
- I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
- I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
- I wish that I’d let myself be happier.
It's helpful to pause and reflect on these for a moment. They can help us to make changes for the better in our own lives and be a guide to better decision making when it comes to our own happiness.
If you found the above helpful check out Bronnie's excellent post on the five things she's learnt since writing this amazing book.
