There is one thing that’s inevitable…
death. Someday you’ll breath your final breath,
before kicking the proverbial bucket. How much time you have is anyone’s guess,
so it’s important to make the most of life. Live it to the fullest, do all the things
you dream to do, and exit the world with no regrets. But then most of us go about our day as if
we’ll live forever; putting off what’s really important until tomorrow. Today we’ll be looking at those things we
never get around to doing, in this episode of The Infographics Show: 10 things old people
say they regret not doing in their life. Steve Jobs was a visionary who left his mark
on the world. His company Apple revolutionized the personal
computing world with the invention of the mac, changed the way we listen to music with
the launch of the IPod, and connected the world when the first IPhone was released. Jobs himself was known for his energetic approach
to life, inspiring people with his motivational speeches. Did he have any regrets? You would think not, and his attitude towards
death hints that he likely had none. On his deathbed, Jobs looked at his sister
Patty, then at his children, then at his life partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders
past them, before uttering his final words, “Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow”. His sister, Mona Simpson, described his tone
as affectionate, dear and loving. Though Jobs left the world early at the age
of 56, it certainly seems that he did so without regret. But then Steve Jobs is not your everyday kind
of person. He led an extraordinary life. What about those of us who will pass away
without feeling that we have properly completed the journey? It seems that many of the regrets people have
are the same. Looking at what the media says and the real
life experiences of doctors and nurses who spend time with old people at the end of their
life, here are the top ten most common regrets that we came across. 10. I wish I had learned a second language – Somewhat
surprisingly, many people depart the world wishing they had learnt a second language. Maybe they feel they would have been able
to connect with more people in life if they spoke more than one language, or that travel
to other countries and mixing with different cultures would have been easier. It could also be that learning languages used
to be much harder than it is today with heaps of internet resources, online classes, and
language apps- so this regret should not exist for much longer, as you really don’t have
any excuses for not following through and learning a language, if that’s something
you wish to do. 9. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard - Bronnie
Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for
patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She was quoted in British newspaper, The Guardian,
saying that this regret came from every male patient she had nursed. Because of working so hard, many people felt
that they missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Some women also spoke of this regret, but
as most of the people she nursed were from an older generation, when women tended to
spend their lives at home running the house and being mothers, this regret was much more
common with men. That’s now changed of course, so it’s
likely that in the future, this regret will be high on the list for both men and women. 8. I wish I had been better at expressing how
I felt – Bronnie also said that many of her patients expressed regret that they suppressed
their feelings in order to keep peace with others. Because of this, they never accomplished the
things they wanted to. Some of her patients even developed illnesses
due to the bitterness they carried around as a result of hiding their true feelings. Dr Barton Goldsmith who writes for online
magazine Psychology Today says that when you express how you really feel, problems get
solved, relationship issues get resolved, and life is easier. You will also enjoy your life more because
you’re not holding on to unhealed or confusing feelings. 7. I wish I had taken better care of my body
– if you don’t look after your body, your time to leave will come much faster, so it’s
no surprise that many people express this regret on their deathbed. Obesity, smoking, or excessive drinking, can
all drive you to an early death. Most things in life can be replaced. A new car or a new house, but you can’t
nip down to the shop and buy a new replacement body. So if this is one regret you think you might
have when your time is up, it’s probably better to make some changes today. 6. I wish I had been more selective with my romantic
relationships – One of the most common fears that people have in life is never meeting
their soulmate. The person they are meant to spend the rest
of their life with. And of course this can show up when death
is near, with the regret that life was spent with the wrong lover. Maybe a person has been in a toxic or abusive
relationship, or they walked away from the person they were meant to be with. Many stay in relationships because they worry
they may end up alone at the end of life, but when they do reach the end, some of these
people are suddenly faced with regret that the romantic choices they made may have been
incorrect. So if you think you’re in this zone, maybe
now is the time to get back to swiping on Tinder so you have no regrets in later life. 5. I didn’t need to worry so much – Karl
Pillemer, a Professor of Human Development at Cornell University and the author of “30
Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans, spoke to nearly
1,500 elderly people asking them one simple question: “What are the most important lessons
you have learned over the course of your life?” One of the most common responses he received
was people saying they wish they had not worried so much. One example is John Alonzo, an 83 year old
man who had been a construction worker, and who had battled a lifetime of financial insecurity. But he didn’t think twice in giving this
advice: Don’t believe that worrying will solve or help anything. It won’t. So stop it. That was it- his one life lesson was simply
to stop worrying. 4. I wish I had spent more time outside of my
comfort zone – To quote Albert Einstein “The definition of insanity is doing the
same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” And if you spend a life doing the same thing
over and over, waiting for something exciting to happen, then it probably won’t. Exciting things happen when you get out there
and make them happen. But it’s often easier said than done, and
many of us stick close to comfort in the hope of an easier life. So when you reach the end and you’re looking
back on it as a whole, you’ll be much more proud if you can say that the most unease
you felt was that day you went skydiving, not the time you had to choose whether to
eat meat or fish at dinner. 3. I could have given back more – Most of us
will wait until the bank account is stacked up with cash before deciding to give a few
dollars to the local charity, but it seems people find themselves on their deathbed regretting
that they didn’t give more. Giving does not need to be about money though. More often it’s about helping and supporting
others with what you can offer as a human being, and expecting nothing in return. Maybe you have useful skills, or sometimes
just a listening ear. Imagine you’re attending your own funeral,
and you hear a friend giving your eulogy. What would you want them to be saying? Most likely you would want to hear them talk
about what a great person you were, and how you had an impact on their life. There’s only one way to ensure you get a
eulogy of this kind, and that’s by giving back and by helping others. 2. I wish I pursued my dreams and aspirations,
and not the life others expected of me – One of the most common regrets we found was this
one: people who had arrived at the end of their life and had missed out on many of their
hearts desires because they were too busy living up to what others expected of them. Our nurse Bronnie Ware said that most people
had not honored even half of their dreams, and had to die knowing that it was due to
choices they had made, or not made, because of how others might judge them. There is a freedom that comes with being close
to death, but often that freedom is also when you realize the things you missed out on. So if you have things you feel you should
be doing…today, not tomorrow, is when to act. 1. I wish I had spent more time with people I
care about – Many of us get caught up in the daily activities of life. Working, shopping, raising the kids, holidays. It’s hard not to be consumed by the endless
cycle, but then later in life, we’re faced with not having spent enough quality time
with friends and family. With all the research we looked at online,
this is the most common regret. Everyone misses their friends & family when
they reach the end, and they start to regret not spending more time with them in life. It can also work in reverse, where the people
who are left behind also feel the regret. In 2014, when President Obama spoke at a town
hall meeting at Malaya University in Kuala Lumpur, he said. "I regret not having spent more time with
my mother. She died early, she got cancer right around
when she was my age, actually, she was just a year older than I am now. It happened very fast, in about six months." Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, died in 1995 of
ovarian cancer at age 52, when Obama was 34. Well, that’s our list of 10 things old people
say they regret not doing in their life. There are of course many more. So, how do you intend to live a life without
regrets? Let us know in the comments! Also be sure to check out our other video,
What Happens When You Die?! Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t
forget to like, share, and subscribe. See you next time!
