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Inc. Magazine

Avoid the Number One Regret of the Dying to Live a More Fulfilled Life
Scott Mautz/Mar 14, 2017
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Palliative nurse Bronnie Ware has captured hundreds of regrets from

terminally ill patients, none greater than this one.
Regrets.
They are the great common denominator--no matter race, color,
creed--they're the one thing we universally try to avoid
<http://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/5-surprising-life-regrets-that-you-can-easi
ly-avoid.html>
with the time we're given.
The pursuit of such avoidance is often on our mind and always on the clock.
Former palliative nurse and author of /The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying/,
Bronnie Ware <http://www.bronnieware.com/>, has seen that clock run out
all too often.
Working closely with patients who were in their waning days of life,
Ware was gifted with insight beyond her imagination. The palliative
nurse developed relationships
<http://www.inc.com/scott-mautz/want-better-relationships-with-employees-this-vi
ral-question-could-change-everyt.html>
with countless dying patients, hearing their regrets and unavoidably
being drawn to clear themes that emerged.
The number one regret of the dying?
*"I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life
others expected of me."*
Indeed, poet Oliver Wendell Holmes
<https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/o/oliver_wendell_holmes_sr.html>
lamented that "many people die with their music still in them". Ensure
your unique, wonderful symphonies are fully realized by living a
courageous and self-congruent life in these three ways.

1. Elevate your values to sacred status

Values are those little things we do each day that exemplify who we are.
They are the daily little impressions we make that leave a huge
permanent impression. You have a choice to live each day in support of
your values, or in spite of your values.
Research indicates that if I asked you to write down your values, 85
percent of you could rattle off the top one or two quickly. But the real
question is, do you consistently live by these values and let them guide
you? Do you hold your values sacred?
Living by your values turns guesses into good decisions. When we go
astray from our values, regrets pile up.

2. Follow an authenticity code of conduct

Authentic behavior
<http://www.inc.com/scott-mautz/7-ways-to-be-the-boss-your-dog-thinks-you-are.ht
ml>
binds human beings to one another. It is deeply satisfying for those
conducting and receiving; it helps reinforce self-identities and creates
bridges to a sense of belonging.
In fact, as human beings, one of the most essential ways we search for
meaning is by answering such fundamental questions as "Who Am I?" and
"Where Do I Belong?" Along the way we continually compare and contrast
our present situation to our beliefs about who we are/where we belong,
looking for matches and misalignment.
It's when we ignore misalignment that regrets begin to surface.
Here's an Authenticity Code of Conduct to help you stay on course with
your true self:
* /Be a Beacon of: Transparency, integrity, and honesty/
* /Be Worthy of: Trust and belief/
* /Behave: In a genuine and approachable manner, with humility,
humanity and vulnerability/
* /Believe: In the power of bringing your whole self to light, always/
* /Be Beholden to: The truth, especially self-truths/
* /Be the First to: Show passion and productive emotion, to laugh and
exude joy/

3. Articulate and animate your purpose

Purpose is the Profound Why. Why are we working so hard? For what
higher-order reason? Purpose creates a sense of personal mission to do
something worthy.
The road to regret is paved with lack of purpose
<http://www.inc.com/shelley-prevost/5-reasons-why-most-people-never-discover-the
ir-purpose.html>.
Above all else, purpose is personal. The pursuit of our individual
purpose yields tremendous meaning. Meaning starts with "Me" for a reason.
If you're still searching for a sense of purpose, you're not alone
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/douglas-labier/life-purpose_b_862192.html>.
Try the Purpose Power Questions that follow to help unveil what your
purpose might be. Keep at the forefront the context of serving something
greater than yourself:
* /What are your superpowers?/
* /What are your values and beliefs?/
* /What would you do for free?/
* /What part of you is not showing up?/
* /What have been your happiest moments?/
* /What have you learned from your misfires and triumphs?/
* /What deed needs doing?/
* /Who might you serve?/
* /What would friends say you were meant to do?/
So what say we live with self-congruency and leave the top regret of the
dying where it belongs--on the great To Don't list of life.
* View on inc.com
<http://www.inc.com/scott-mautz/avoid-the-number-one-regret-of-the-dying-to-
live-a-more-fulfilled-life.html>
* Report
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