How to Live a Life With No Regrets

Live with no regrets

A guest post by Tess Marshall of The Bold Life.

When I think of someone who lived a life without regrets, I think of my mom. She only had a sixth grade education because she quit school to take care of her own mother.

Her first husband died from a brain tumor and she was left with three small children. Soon after, she married my dad and together they raised ten children.

Mom never learned how to drive. She never had her own bank account. She never lived alone. Yet, she had the courage to divorce my dad when she was 65 years old.

She remained friends with my dad after the divorce. When her health failed nearly twenty years later, she moved back in with him, no regrets.

Eight months have gone by since my mom passed away at age 90. I’ve given a lot of though to how I live my own life because of her love and influence.

Keep in mind everyone makes mistakes, we’re human. When we learn from our mistakes, we can move on and let our regrets go.

Read on to learn how you can live a life with no regrets.

Invest in yourself

Be your own loving caregiver. Rejecting and neglecting yourself are painful. You are worthy because you exist. Practice feeling affection and appreciation for yourself. Allow yourself to feel pleasure.

Share. Learn to self-reveal. Give others a peek into your inner world. Disclose your thoughts, experiences, feelings, and dreams. You have the power to light up a life or brighten a room with your presence.

Know yourself. Get comfortable in your own skin. Accept your weaknesses and shortcomings. Celebrate your strengths and successes. Have the confidence to be who you are.

Be good to yourself. Put yourself first. Become your own best friend. Make good choices. Several times throughout the day ask, “Does this choice honor me?”

Invest in others

Surround yourself with people who love and respect you. Choose to be with the people who bring out the best in you. Love the people who don’t support you from a distance. Wish them well and send them on their way.

Say, “I love you,” often. Express your affection and appreciation to friends and family. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and uncomfortable. Life is short. What matters is connection. Connect as often as possible.

Live simply. Keep your relationships uncomplicated. Create meaningful experiences. Make memories. Don’t gossip or compare yourself to others. You don’t know what anything is for. You can’t see the big picture.

Invest in spirituality.

Keep your heart open. Practice accepting people you don’t like. Look for the good in everyone. Be kind and smile. Every human being wants the same three things; to love, to be loved, and to know they matter.

Get spiritual. Go within. Use prayer, silence, meditation or yoga. Connect with God, Buddha, or what ever is right for you. Renew your spirit and strength.

Spend time in nature. Swim in the ocean. Plant a garden. Climb a mountain. Ride in a dune buggy. Walk barefoot in the grass. Watch the sunrise and sunset. Any thing you do outside is energizing and refreshing. Being in nature creates calm.

Learn to forgive. Resolve your childhood issues. Release grudges and guilt. Forgive yourself for hurting others. Forgive others for causing you pain. Forgive your parents. Louise Hay says, “Our parents did the best they could at the time, with what they had. When we know better we do better.”

Accept others as they are. Attempting to change someone is a waste of time and energy. You will find yourself doing tomorrow what you judge somebody for doing today. We are all imperfectly perfect. Stay in your own backyard. Mind your own business.

Invest in health and wellness.

Eat mindfully. Don’t multi-task. Keep your mind in the present moment. Be grateful for your food. Smell and really taste your food. Notice the texture. Pause between bites. Stop when you are full.

Exercise regularly. Begin today and make one small change in your wellness program. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. It’s a win-win situation. You’ll feel good today and at the same time invest in a healthy and happy future.

Schedule play and fun. Discover the benefits of play. Laughter and joy enrich your well-being. Prominent psychologist, Erik Erikson stated, “The richest and fullest lives balance work, love, and play. All three must be pursued with equal dedication.”

Be creative. Take time to create things that have nothing to do with your work or business. Make a collage. Do a self-portrait. Take photographs. Try a new recipe. We were born to create. It’s good for your soul.

Enjoy your work.

Follow your dreams. You are capable of way more than you can imagine. Create a plan and take action. Learn to prioritize and focus. Leo Babauta, suggests, you focus on how much you love what you’re doing, instead of how much you can accomplish.

Take risks. Do one thing a day that scares you. Make a phone call and ask for what you want. Follow up. Keep asking until you get a yes. Be bold and brave. You have nothing to lose. There are approximately 7 billion people in the world. If someone tells you ‘no’ ask someone else.

Expand your comfort zone. Face your fears. Name your fears in your journal. Next to each fear, write down the worse case scenarios if the fear came true. Question how each fear is holding you back. Take and action step within the next 24 hours toward a personal goal.

Enjoy your life.

Do it now. Don’t procrastinate. Take a vacation. Go on a trip. See the world. Go places you haven’t been before. Do things you haven’t done before. Explore!

Participate in life. Watch very little television. Eliminate watching, reading or listening to the news. Someone will tell you what’s going on in the world. Instead of watching reality shows, take a dance or singing lesson

Be debt free. Live with less. Give up recreational shopping. Don’t buy into the next best thing. Put your time and energy into your family, neighborhood and community.

Learn how to handle setbacks. Life is made of ups, downs, and disappointments. When life becomes difficult, take it easy. Look for a lesson in each experience, learn from it, and move forward.

Let go of urgency and fear. When you live in the pain of the past or the fear of the future you feel anxious and stressed. Learn to relax and go with the flow. Shift your energy by changing your thoughts. Recognize the fear based stories you tell yourself and drop them.

Stop whining. Become aware of how often you complain or find fault with others. You cannot be happy when you feel like a victim, believe you’re entitled, want to be rescued or blame others. Learn to recognize and change these destructive thoughts and emotions.

Give more than you take. Anticipate someone’s needs and meet them. Go the extra mile. Make others feel important. Help someone as often as possible. Share your knowledge. Do something for someone who can’t pay you back.

Surrender your regrets. They have helped you grow into the person you are today. When you know better you do better. Choose to create and amazing and adventurous future for yourself, one wonderful day at a time.

Tess Marshall is a speaker, author, fear shattering, calculated risk taker, obsessed with being bold. Her blog, The Bold Lifeis a juicy mix of inspiration, spirituality, and personal development. Download for free her e-Book, “Peace, Love, and Connection.” Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.