You don’t want to live in such a way that when your life is over you are left thinking more about what you didn’t do than what you did do. Think about how you would feel on your deathbed if you were wishing you had done that one special thing or taken that chance that you let pass by.
From that perspective, examine your life today. Think about some risks you have been unwilling to take — perhaps changing careers, following a dream, opening your heart to another person, or being all you can be. You can do nothing to change the decisions you made in your past, but the future holds many opportunities.
I remember a college football player diagnosed with cancer who said to me, “Before I got cancer there were games where I could have given more of myself.” He regretted that he had held back. From his battle with cancer, he learned to not leave anything in the locker room but to bring it all with him out on the field. We all need to “bring it all out on the field” of our lives. It is the only way not to have regrets. Let there be no “if only’s” or “I wish I had’s” in your life.
Excerpted with permission from 365 Prescriptions for the Soul: Daily Words for Healing Body, Mind & Spirit © 2010 Dr. Bernie Siegel. Printed with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA. www.newworldlibrary.com or 800-972-6657 ext. 52.