...No regrets

Going to ponder for a moment… we all have rough patches in life. Let me underscore: each one of us. Been wondering, how do we work our way through the dark times?

The spirit of “Live Life Now” is entrenched in our company. I believe in it more now then I ever have. Here’s why…

About 3:00 a.m. one morning I found myself restless, in deep thought and aimlessly wandering the web. I came across a couple of interesting articles that helped me take things into perspective. I want to share a few highlights, which speak to the heartfelt messaging behind our company – and the passion that goes into what we do.

One study asked people over 65 years old what their greatest regret in life was.

Ready for this?

"I would have spent less time worrying" and "I regret that I worried so much about everything."

The study went on to say that we worry about things in the absence of actual stressors…. Essentially, we worry when there is nothing concrete to worry about. It also highlighted that when a real problem surfaced, we focused on problem solving – not worrying about it.

But here’s the real gist of life, and something that we’ve reflected on in the past in our journal… We all have one precious limited asset that is the same for you and me, and every one else: time. What are you doing with it?

Your answer defines your life.

So here’s something perhaps a little controversial (and maybe those of you in a dark period of life can relate to this)… I found myself on a credible, major academic web portal examining models to assess life expectancy. That’s right, how long we have in the here and now.

There seems to be various versions of this topic out there, but I was intrigued at the depth of questioning on this particular one.

Now here’s the thing… we never know when it’s our time to check out, I get that. But under normal circumstances, living a reasonably healthy lifestyle… how much longer do I really have?

This one model gave a specific checkout date. Hmm…. that’s interesting. Is that the real date?? Hell no. However, it brought to mind that there is indeed a finite amount of sand in the hourglass of life. Sobering. On occasion I take a small pen and mark that year on my wrist.

This information reinforced to me, not only to live life now, but (and my favorite question that I challenge myself with), ”What are you doing to make a difference?”

Ok, I thought, time to get out of this funk. But of course, it was about 4 a.m. in the morning and I was still fiddling on the web.

Another study popped up, from the United Kingdom, involving a hospice nurse. What could be truer wisdom, then those nuggets of advice in the interviews with people at life’s end?

I’m going to challenge you to assess yourself against the top 5 regrets of those people in hospice that were reflecting back on their lives.

Here they are from #5 to the top regret:

#5: I wish that I had let myself be happier

#4: I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends

#3: I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings

#2: I wish I hadn't worked so hard

And perhaps the most insightful (and maybe where each one of us falls down)…

#1: I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

When these folks looked back on the decades of their years, it was evident to them that many of their dreams remained unfulfilled, due to choices they had made, or not made.

In our journal posts to you, we share some things that have happened or are happening in our lives. And sometimes, we do a little research on topics that we hope will add some sort of meaning to your day, or at the very least, cause you to learn something new, or just reflect.

So, as such, you’ll see we do things like ripping out walls to build a Tiki bar, climbing mountains, running Triathlons, supporting small businesses, sponsoring grief programs for children of fallen soldiers… and sometimes, we just kick back and have fun. But most important, we want to recognize the significance of making a difference.

The deepest challenge is living a life of few regrets.

Are you making a difference? Are you giving back in a meaningful way… not wasting time, but embracing each grain of sand in life’s hourglass?

The answer is different for each one of us… but let’s make sure we each find the answer that fits us… and live a life that is true to ourselves.

That’s what it’s all about.