When we’re young, we think that time is endless. Because we don’t fully understand how quickly life passes by, we overlook things that don’t seem to be so important. As time progresses, however, we find out the hard way that we’ve missed certain windows. All of those things we wished we had done can weigh heavily on us. These are common things that older people wished their younger versions would have done before it was too late.
Not Spending Time
Life gets hectic, and when you are in the thick of it, you tend to spend your time putting out fires. Time is not infinite, but most act as if it is. All of the time that people spend on their cell phones, watching Netflix, or generally just not paying attention to life are times that you can’t get back. As people get older and start to lose loved ones, they wish that they had put their phones down more, touched base regularly, and recognized that you only have one chance to be with those you love before they are no longer around.
Taking Better Care of Oneself
When you’re young, time is endless, and you feel immortal. Things like illness are only for older people. One day, however, you wake up, and you are an old person. Many of the injuries that we have earlier in life get worse as we age. Once more, if you have healthy habits in your youth, they are likely to follow into older age. The good news is there is always time to better your health.
Traveling Enough
Our younger selves get caught up in climbing the corporate ladder, which doesn’t leave much time to travel. Many people would love to see faraway lands but always figure they will do it later in life. When you’re older, however, you don’t have the energy or the drive to backpack across Europe or wing it.
Risk Taking
In your younger years, you should take the most risk. Switching career paths, putting down risky investments with high returns, and throwing caution to the wind are things that younger people should enjoy. Most often, people play it safe their whole lives. As they get older, they look back and wish they had taken the chance to realize their dreams. When you have nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose.
Caring About What People Think
Our younger selves are more concerned about fitting in and being accepted. Always trying to please everyone often means that you take very little time to do things that please you. In your later years, you don’t care as much about what people say. By then, however, you have let so much time pass that you can’t go back. There's no time to undo the years by doing what you really want without fear of reprisal.
Fear of Commitment
Many young people assume they have their whole lives ahead of them and aren’t ready to settle down. Also, they have a deep fear of being hurt. That can often stop them from being honest about their feelings in a relationship. Many older people have a story about the one that got away. If you love someone, you only have one chance to be honest and let them know.
Loving Yourself
Most young people are so concerned about fitting in and being liked that they do things they don’t want to do and don’t do those things that make them happy. When you are older and realize that time isn’t endless, and wish that you had done things differently and been more authentically you. Most people wake up one day and realize that they haven’t ever gotten to know who they really are because they’ve been too caught up in being someone for everyone else.
Motivated by Fear
The phrase you only live once doesn’t seem as critical when you feel like you have a lifetime yet to live. Often, older people wake up and realize that they have lived their lives making decisions based on fear rather than truly deciding what they want. Every day, you should make decisions as if they were your last and let go of the fear that holds you back.
Staying in Bad Relationships
Not every relationship that we have is healthy. Sometimes, we stay in poor situations because the fear of the unknown is worse than dealing with what you know. Many people have lost years, if not decades, of their lives staying in abusive relationships. They wake up one day and realize that they aren’t young anymore. Even worse, they recognize that the best years were given to someone who stole their joy and happiness.
Not Saying Thank You
Sometimes, in our youth, we get caught up in having big things and big dreams. Often, however, we fail to see the beauty in the small and seemingly insignificant things in life. If you spend your entire life chasing the impossible, then you will never see the blessings that you’ve been given. Happiness is found in the mundane, not the extraordinary; don’t let the best of it pass you by.
Comparing Yourself to Others
It is easy to look at someone else’s life and think that is what you should have. Often, we get caught up in things we want that others have. We also fail to see all the things that we do have. Being jealous isn’t a motivator. It only keeps you stuck feeling like things are out of your control. Stop wanting what others have and either go get it yourself or start appreciating what you have.
Living in the Past
We all know that person who is frozen in time at a specific event or age where they let something get away. We all have decisions in our past that we wish we had done differently and occasions where we wanted something and it didn’t work out. Wallowing in it, however, will not make it better. You can’t go back and redo it. You can only move forward.
Being too Serious
Life is serious there is no denying that, but if you are too serious, you won’t ever enjoy the best parts of it. It is important to be responsible and do the right thing, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t play hooky once in a while, stay out late on a school night, and let your credit card balance revolve. Life will still go on.
Holding onto Grudges
Sometimes, forgiving can be difficult, but not forgiving can actually cause more damage. It isn’t usually until later in life that we recognize that it is better to be happy than right. All the energy people waste on being angry at someone would be better served by forgiving and moving on to more positive things.
Being a Workaholic
There is no denying that work is important and a necessary evil throughout life, but many people hide behind their desks and never fully experience life. You only get one shot at being young and doing the things that you want to. The older you get, the more responsibilities you have, and the less you can enjoy your free time. Take full advantage of it while you can.
Started a Family
Many people who are wrapped up in their careers and independence delay getting married and starting a family. The older you are, the easier it is to continue on a path that you are on and not realize that time is ticking. It is a good idea to wait to get married until a time when you are ready, but don’t keep pushing that time out if marriage is what you want.
Not Furthering Their Education
Education is the key to getting ahead for many different career paths. Many who did not have the resources to get a four-year degree often do not return to school after they enter the working world and try to climb the ladder with just experience. By the time they see that there are less qualified people getting ahead due to an education, they are already stuck in a tract and don’t want to go back to school.
Life Goes By so Fast
The irony of life is that when you are young, you think time is endless; when you get older, you realize how truly short life is and wish that you had made more of it. You only get one shot to live life to the fullest, so make each day last no matter what age you are.
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