Do you have a bucket list?
Last week we talked about having permission to dream and I’m curious about whether you have something in particular that you would like to have achieved for yourself before you die?
I want to bring your attention to a woman named Bronnie Ware – she’s an Australian and for a number of years – she nursed patients in palliative care for their last 12 weeks before they died.
She found that there was a very real clarity that people experience when reaching the end of their life & looking back over it.
She wrote a book from her experience called ‘The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying’ – so that we could learn from their wisdom.
The top 5 Regrets are:
- I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself not the life that others expected of me
- I wish I hadn’t worked so hard
- I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings
- I wish I’d stayed in touch with my friends
- I wish that I had let myself be happier
I’m wondering how it is that you want to approach coming to that part in your life?
What it is that you would like to be able to look back on your life and know that you have accomplished or had – so that you don’t have the kind of regret listed above?
The 5th regret on the list – ‘I wish I had let myself be happier’ – I think a lot of us hold ourselves back from being really happy.
We cheat ourselves out of our own happiness a lot of the time.
I wanted to continue what I started last week about having this permission to dream – to have all that you want to be, do & have so that you come through to the end of your life – without regret.
The problem with not visioning & dreaming & not allowing ourselves to have a full & rich life is that – it will result in us moving out of this life – with regret.
And what a big shame that would be!!
How hard would it be to know that your days here were about to end – knowing that you haven’t yet had the life that you really wanted to have?
It may feel a bit dramatic to think about – it’s not going to happen for a while yet – all things going well!
But it will happen for each of us – we will reach that stage!
What is it that you want to look back over your life & know that you have done & had – so that you don’t have to experience this regret?
I know certainly for me it’s become really important. I think ever since my own parents died – & – now that I’m creeping up in age – I realise life is short!!
And we really only have a certain amount of time in which to use the opportunity that we have – inside this body – on this earth – in this lifetime.
I have chosen to use this information from Bronnie Ware to form my dream of what I want to do for myself before I die.
I’ve had a good think about that.
And I encourage you to do that too.
I invite you to think long and hard about this.
I certainly want to know that I have lived a life that I truly loved living!
I want to be able to look back and say to myself that – yes – I accomplished everything that I wanted to do – I was the person that I wanted to be – I lived & I felt & I experienced!!
And it was rich & beautiful & colourful & full of joy!!
What is it that you want?
I leave you with that question.
I’m hoping that it will stir up something in you – to find your passion – to find your inspiration and to find your desire – to make the best of what you’ve got – from here on!!
Let me know in the comments where you are with that.
And do you have a bucket list?
If so – what are the top three things you have on it?
Has this topic stirred something for you today and if so – what?
Please share in the comments!