“I think all of us want to live our lives without regret – I KNOW I DO!! We all want to be able to say at the end of our lives that we spent our time wisely doing the things that were of the most importance.
The problem is that most of us, if not all of us, are not doing very much in our present lives about this.
We say that spending time with our family is important but we spend more time watching T.V. than we do with them.
We say that our relationship with God is important but we spend more time checking hockey scores than we do with Him.
We say that we want to be generous with our time, money and abilities but we end up using these gifts in unfruitful ways.
How do we live our lives without regret?
We need to recognize that there is no rewind button in life so we must seek to get it right the first time. We need to take an honest look at what commitments are shaping our lives.
Is there a gap between what you say you value and the way you spend our time? If there is, what are you going to do about it?
We can’t wait for a crisis to make these decisions. Crisis will force us to take evaluation of what is truly important but often at this point it is too late to do anything about it.
It is better to make the tough choices now; it is better not to wait.
What are you doing right now to live your life without regrets?
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I can honestly say I’ve never spent one minute checking hockey scores.
Seriously though, I agree completely. I’ve had to make adjustments through the years and there are more to be made. Patterns get established and routines are made–suddenly I’m not living the values I have espoused. It’s a constant tug of war and adjusting process, but it’s certainly worth the vigilance. Thanks Kevin.
I can’t imagine a world without checking hockey scores.
Thanks for sharing Jason!
Kevin Martineau recently posted…3 ways to affirm others
Excellent article Kevin … I agree, it’s all about priorities. Whenever I hear someone whinning about being too busy to do the things they ‘say’ matters to them, I’m thinking, well if it really mattered to you, you’d make it a priority over all that other stuff that sucked up your time. Thanks for the inspiration!
Marquita Herald recently posted…Neat Little Boxes
Exactly Marty!
The truth is, what we do (and especially what we spend our money on) usually reflects our priorities.
Thanks for sharing.
Kevin Martineau recently posted…3 ways to affirm others
Great post, Kevin! I remind myself what Jim Rohn said: “If you don’t make a plan for your life, you’ll be living someone else’s plan; and chances are, that person doesn’t have much planned for you.” By setting aside specific amounts of time for things that need to be done, it gives an anchor for the rest of the day.
Steve Nicholas recently posted…Time is on My Side
Great quote Steve!
Thanks for sharing!
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No rewind button – in this day and age of TIVO? No wonder our mindset thinks we will can go back and have a do-over.
More than 30 years ago, my hubby and I chose not to go on a trip that within a year we regretted not going. That change our life – from then on we took many trips and made other decisions so we wouldn’t have regrets. We often use that question – will I regret not doing this later? – has part of the decision making we do.
great post.
Jean Wise recently posted…Surprising Serendipity
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Jean!
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I’m trying more and more each day to live without regrets. I find as I grow older, it’s people, not things that make my mind and heart come alive. I recently quit my cubicle job to travel, and am loving every second of it. It’s surprising how little we need to feel fulfilled…
I think it comes down to living out our passions. When we are living out our passions we have a sense of fulfillment.
Thanks for sharing Raymond!
Kevin Martineau recently posted…Quit living someone else’s life
Kevin: thank you for the wake-up call. I don’t think you could have said it any more succinctly and effectively than you did. One of the best ways, I find, to change the gap is to be aware of it. Through weekly review of our past activities as compared to our values, we can identify and correct those gaps.
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Constant evaluation is definitely important Steve.
Thanks for sharing!
Kevin Martineau recently posted…Marginless living
I sleep well at night knowing that I did my best each and every day. I make it my business to live every day like it’s my last. I’ve learned to appreciate the little things and integrity is most paramount to me. I can’t say that I regret anything because it was all a learning experience and I probably wouldn’t be who I am today had I did something different.
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That is a great perspective Dewane.
Thanks for sharing!
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My wife and I in order to spend some extra time with each other will read poetry to each other. She is really into foreign poets. As a history major I find it interesting.
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Great idea Andy!
Thanks for sharing!
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I could say, have a positive outlook and dream big. That is living your life to the fullest.
Great points Kamilla!
Thanks for sharing.
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