For so many years, I’ve been hearing stories and reading accounts of so many people who, on their deathbed, have expressed regret or remorse about not having lived their lives to the fullest. They did not go after their real passions. They did not chase their own dreams. They did not forgive someone else or themselves and held that grudge forever. They harbored ill feelings and never let them go.
In their final moments on this earth, they tell others how they don’t want them to make the same mistakes. You’ve heard the cliche “Live life to the fullest.” And yet, what are so many people still doing?
Exactly right. They are NOT chasing their dreams. They are NOT following their true passions. They are STILL harboring ill-will and unforgiveness to themselves or others.
What if, right now, I were to give you a gift? What if today, you suddenly found yourself on your deathbed? If you knew that you had less than 24 hours left on earth, what do you think you would regret the most? What have you not done that you wished you had? What would you have said to someone that has gone unsaid?
So, what’s this “gift” I’m offering to you? Well, for the vast majority of you reading this now, I can almost guarantee there’s an overwhelming probability that you have more than 24 hours left in your lifetime.
Consider this your wake-up call to really think ahead about those “future regrets” and actually have the opportunity to do something about them RIGHT NOW.
1) Make the conscious choice to change. Change your attitude. Change how you feel about someone or something. Change your idea that you can’t do something. Change your belief of what others think about you. Move out of your comfort zone and decide to go after what you really want in life. You can absolutely do all of these things.
2) Decide what is truly important to you in your life right now. Is there someone you want to get to know? Is there a career you’ve always wanted to pursue? Is there a trip that you’ve always wanted to take? Is there an activity you’ve always wanted to accomplish? Determine what you want to have, be or do and go do it. Now is the time, not later. There is no guarantee there will be a “later.”
3) Open yourself up to unlimited possibilities now and from this point forward. If you have limiting beliefs about what is possible, what you can (or can’t do), about what others will think about you, or what you are really able to accomplish, RETHINK them now. Those stories about your limitations are just that….made-up stories. Rewrite your book now and YOU can decide what you are truly capable of doing.
4) Clean up the past with yourself and others by forgiving and moving forward. A wonderful quote about not forgiving goes something like this. Holding a grudge is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. You only punish yourself by harboring ill-feelings towards others, especially if it’s something that happened a long time ago. By forgiving, you are literally “giving for” yourself. You are letting go of hurt and anger that is very possibly not even affecting the other person that you think you’re directing it towards anyway. By not taking things personally to begin with, it’s easier to forgive, let go and move on.
Know that when that time comes, and you are on your deathbed, you have made the choices to live your life to the fullest, to accomplish your deepest desires, to live out your true passions, on your terms, and will leave this earth plane with no regrets.
River of Opportunities 