Many people try to make the phrase "no regrets" their motto, pushing aside thoughts about the past and focusing on the future.
However, not dwelling, but reflecting on past experiences, both positive and negative, can provide valuable lessons and insights that lead to personal growth.
According to a recent survey of 2,000 adults commissioned by UK charity consortium Remember A Charity, four in ten people regret certain aspects of their lives, with spending too much time at work and not traveling being among the most common choices.
So we invite you to think about how we want to spend our time and take a look at a Reddit thread started by platform user Hassan_Wamedh that invited people to share what they wish they would've done differently when they were younger.
This post may include affiliate links.
I should have left that creepy demeaning religion (Mormonism) 35 years earlier.
Fun fact: did you know that until the mid-70s ish the Mormon religion considered African people to be evil! It’s true! They preached it until they came under fire by the adolescent Civil Rights movement, where that exact night god spoke to the head of church and said black people weret evil after all! What a craaaaaazy coincidence!
Spending more time with my animals. They were gone sooner than I expected and I regret every single time I complained about walking the dog or skipped a riding lesson because I was too busy moping in my room. Appreciate them while they're there, or you'll regret it forever like I do.
My grandfather is Mexican, and he tried to teach me Spanish when I was young, but I was never paying much attention.
I’m trying to learn now, before I lose him.
Turning down invites and opportunities to meet new people and travel to new places because I was too hung up on how I looked. I was so hard on myself. And to her I apologise.
Focusing on school and going to college for something I actually want to do.
I’m 34 now, and while I make like 150k a year, I find my career to be a massive waste of time. I work crazy overtime hours and travel, leading to no life.
The trades aren’t all they are cracked up to me.
Hopefully next year I can enroll and shoot for a masters in psychology to be a therapist. F**k sacrificing life for a check. I have no kids and I’m newly single so now is the time.
Therapy. Should have started at 14 instead of 24, this would have prevented most of the dumb things I did.
Thing is, I'm 14 and I know I need it, but I just can't access it because of my parents. Also because they are a significant part of WHY I need therapy.
Ate healthily or at least with portion control. I developed bad eating habits because I was deprived of food growing up. I'm around 25 lbs heavier than my normal weight. I've always tried going on a diet but always fail.
Trying too hard to keep friends when they used me and took advantage of my kindness, I've learnt that not everyone wants to be your friend and I'm okay with that!
Being diagnosed with ADHD. Looking back it makes so much sense, but I was never tested. I spent years dealing with depression and anxiety over problems caused by it. Hell I dropped out of college twice.
My grandson got on ADHD at 25 - makes me cry when I think about how much he struggled before. You just have to look forward.
Being a better boyfriend to awesome girls i dated when younger.
Well youth is a gradual learning process. One cannot be expected to know everything about how to treat the opposite sex the first years of dating.
Choosing myself.
You can alienate yourself from everyone and everything, but you'll always have yourself with you. So this is the most important person in your life that you need to take care of.
Skipping travel. Missed adventures haunt me. Embrace every opportunity, folks!
That's a lovely Volkswagen Transporter with camper top, maybe about 1974-1975? Lovely vehicle, I have had several. Lost my virginity in one, thank you.. also learned a lot about mechanicking.
Being accepting of who I am.
Throwing off the religion I grew up with and my warped attitude towards sex.
I should have learned to play the guitar, I should have learned to play them drums.
Wearing a condom. I love my kids more than life itself. but life itself has been a lot different and harder than I thought.
Starting a gym routine, trying more activities and being more social.
For mentally health and not crippled by anxiety people only. We wish you a happy gym routine while we’re trying to get up out of bed in the morning.
Be a teenager. I was too eager to grow up and focused almost exclusively on work from 15-25 so I missed out on the whole thing.
I'm now 27 and I started to once again do things that made me happy when I was a teen / child. I build Legos, buy Star Wars figures, watch Digimon, visit places I liked when I was younger... granted, it won't bring those years back, but it brings some much needed serotonin.
Not getting help when I needed it the most.
You are part of a very big club. Soooo hard to ask for help and trust me people that matter will always help you and understand
Attending prom, graduation and other high school graduate activities. I was just so depressed at the time and didn't think anyone would care if I wasn't there.
Now I'll never get to experience those things.
Depends on the person I guess, I'm like 10 years out of school and I haven't regretted not going, not even once. I had very little connection to those people and they cared more about getting drunk than making memories.
Here are a couple - make working out a hobby, take care of your skin, use Moisturizer/sunscreen, take better care of teeth, spend more time with your parents and capture those moments(photos/videos).
This is anecdotal but the moisturizing / sunscreen part seems to be true. My best friend is in her 70s. I've known her over 50 years. She wears almost no makeup but she has always a light base coat or moisturizer just to protect her face. She has aged SO much more gracefully than her peers and most people guess her age as much younger than her real age. I can't prove how much of that is from the moisturizer but it seems like it helped.
Studying abroad when I was in college.
Studying abroad is nice, but overrated. Working abroad is where it's at!
Note: this post originally had 72 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Poll Question
Thanks! Check out the results:
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
You May Also Like
Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk
Do you think childless individuals should be expected to chip in for group babysitting costs during friend gatherings?
“They Saw The Blood Leave My Body”: Woman Refuses To Tip 10% At Bridal Store
How do you feel about the practice of tipping at a bridal store?
17 Y.O. Is Done Sharing Her Birthday With Her Late Twin, Parents Are Not Having It
Do you think the girl should be allowed to celebrate her birthday without the remembrance of her deceased twin?
Well, everyone has 20/20 hindsight. What helped me, many years later, was to say to myself 'With the information I had at the time, do I regret doing what I did." Quite often, my answer was no, despite various poor outcomes.
Well, everyone has 20/20 hindsight. What helped me, many years later, was to say to myself 'With the information I had at the time, do I regret doing what I did." Quite often, my answer was no, despite various poor outcomes.
