Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about “I wish I had spent more time with this person before he / she died” or “I wish I had told so and so I loved them more” or “I wish I had learned how to ____ (fill in the blank)…” You get the idea, right? It bothered me so much to see such an influx of these posts that it prompted me to write this post. If you’re having ANY of those feelings (or any other “I wish” sentiments) I want to urge you to please listen to your heart. If you didn’t get a chance to tell someone you loved them or how much they meant to you before they died, take time to share your thoughts with them now. I promise you’ll have better closure on the relationship and I believe our angels in heaven can hear our thoughts and prayers.
On the flip side of this idea, if you notice you haven’t been telling someone you love them often enough or you wish you had done this or that…You’re Still Here! They’re Still Here! Tell those around you that you love them now. Everyone. And yes, I’m serious. We all need love. Have you seen all the horrible things happening in the world today? Life is far too short to live with regret. My general rule of thumb is if I think of someone, I reach out to them…
This doesn’t just apply to personal life – this totally applies in business. If you’re sitting at your desk thinking “gosh I wish I had created this program or that product” or “I wish I could create a partnership with so and so…” these are essentially the same things that are holding you back from putting yourself out there – and at the end of the day, what’s left? That’s right: regret. Who do you admire in business and want to have a conversation with about doing a joint venture project? Take a look around on social media or in other ways you might be connected to see how you might approach that person.
I think this really resonated for me in the graphic design class I’m currently taking. I found out on Tuesday morning that I missed the deadline for a quiz on Monday evening. I got the dates mixed up and was really frustrated about it. I thought about it for a while and realized that I could email the instructor and plead my case as it were. You know the adage of “the answer is always no unless you ask.” While I got no special consideration for missing the deadline, I was reassured that this quiz was 25 points out of the 1,000 potential available points for the class – so it was all about perspective at that point. Was I disappointed I couldn’t make up the quiz? Absolutely! Do I have regret for not asking for special consideration? Nope!
So promise yourself that you will take action on those thoughts and ideas that come to you (not the bad ones!) and reach out to those around you… be a lighthouse in the shit storm that is going on in others’ lives right now. Tell someone you love them; tell someone you appreciate their sense of humor; ask a friend out for coffee or lunch just because; start creating that program – jot down your ideas; start writing that book… you get the idea, right?
I’d love to hear what you’re putting into action in the comments.