Longevity Minded - Managing Regret For A Happy Life
Managing Regret For A Happy LifeSaying goodbye to your life and lessons learned after facing certain death.I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. In the last few weeks of your life, you’ll look back on years passed with crystal clarity of how things turned out. What will you remember? This was the most common regret of the dying as recorded by a palliative care nurse. Knowing that dreams were left unfulfilled due to the actions and choices you made is a devastatingly sad way to spend your final moments. As a self-proclaimed “good” decision-maker, with a little life experience to back it up, I always freeze when it comes to one part of the decision-making equation: regret. The fear of experiencing regret in the future paralyzes me. But what if you could eliminate the possibility of experiencing major regret later in life? Decision-making is a skill that can be developed – learning to manage regret is simply part of honing your ability to make good decisions. Just like smart investors minimize the probability of an investment losing money, we can study those who encountered regret to ensure we escape its pity and fully experience our lives. Brace For Impact: Say Goodbye To Your LifeOne January afternoon in 2009, a routine flight headed to Charlotte departed from NYC. That flight turned out to be an odds-defying miracle and a spectacular case study on regret. After a flock of birds caused the plane to lose all engine power, Captain Sully managed to land the plane in the Hudson River saving everyone on board from what appeared to be certain death. In the moments before crashing, Sully announced three simple words… “brace for impact.” This gave passengers 90 seconds to say goodbye to their lives. Ric Elias, a passenger certain he was facing death, encountered three waves of regret during what he thought would be his final moments. Wave 1: “There’s no going back and there’s no turning back.”
Wave 2: Regret about his ego.
Wave 3: Regret that he had not focused on the things that matter most.
Dying was not scary, it was tremendously sad. Performing a Post-Mortem: Earn Your LifeRic often says he was given the ultimate gift that day. To believe you’re going to die, experience what you thought to be your final moments, then be given a second chance. Encountering the tail end of life only for it to be drenched in regret spurred Ric to change how he lived – he began judging his life with one question: “Did I earn my gift?” Principles of Regret ManagementFocus on What MattersWe spend far too much time complaining about traffic, thinking about those who “wronged us” (this is usually a story we tell ourselves), and whining about the weather. It’s a tough paradigm to escape when you’re in the grind of everyday life. The solution? Expand the gap. Between every external stimulus and your response, there’s a gap. For most people, it doesn’t exist – they reactively snap back at every situation without thought. If you learn to expand that gap, through practices like mindful meditation, you become empowered with choices. Use that gap to prioritize the things that matter and shrug off everything else. Do Not Postpone Anything
Do not fool yourself. “Someday” is an illusion we tell ourselves to avoid the necessary but often uncomfortable actions required to create the life we desire. Take action now and correct course as you go. Do Not Deal with Negative EnergyIf the people in your life aren’t adding something positive, they’re actively stealing your limited time. Be ruthless in cutting people out of your life. Fight and Argue Less
The compulsion to always be right is something I certainly suffer. Although it can be very beneficial in some settings – the truth matters – it can also be damaging to personal relationships. There are three sides to an argument: your perspective, the other person’s perspective, and the truth. Practice seeing all three for what they are and sympathizing with the other person even when they’re wrong. And, as always, please give me feedback. What did you like? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Let me know! Just hit reply to this email or send a tweet to @jackrossdixon. Stay safe and have fun out there. Much love, Jack 1 Unedited quote: “For all of the most important things, the timing always sucks. Waiting for a good time to quit your job? The stars will never align and the traffic lights of life will never all be green at the same time. The universe doesn't conspire against you, but it doesn't go out of its way to line up the pins either. Conditions are never perfect. "Someday" is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you. Pro and con lists are just as bad. If it's important to you and you want to do it "eventually," just do it and correct course along the way.” ― Timothy Ferriss, The 4-Hour Workweek If you liked this post from Longevity Minded, why not share it? DISCLAIMER: I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on the Internet. Speak with a medical professional before doing anything medical-related. |
Older messages
Building Positive Habits, Mental Models for Self-Forgiveness and Helping Others Change
Thursday, July 7, 2022
How to develop good habits by leveraging the four components of behaviour, using mental models to stay on track and simple rules for helping others.
4 Exercises To Build A Strong Grip & Extend Your Lifespan
Thursday, June 30, 2022
Reduced grip strength is associated with a 23% increase in mortality and a subpar quality of life. Here's how to strengthen it.
12 Simple Rules to Optimize Your Sleep
Thursday, June 23, 2022
Science-backed practices to improve physical and cognitive performance and boost your health.
Celebrating 30
Friday, June 17, 2022
Revisiting the framework that started it all.
Mitigating Disease via Blood Pressure
Thursday, June 9, 2022
Controlling blood pressure to decrease your risk for stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease.
You Might Also Like
That Damned Elusive Parking Spot
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Also a coffee shop bathroom, and not knowing what we really want ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
NBC Proves the Media Can't Save Democracy
Thursday, March 28, 2024
The decision to hi former RNC chair is a symptom of a larger problem ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Game, Set, Muscle
Thursday, March 28, 2024
The more sets the better isn't a rule for weight training, a healthy lifestyle can boost cognitive reserves and your weekly recommendations. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
118 weeks and I almost stopped
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Go through the motions ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
The way you dress and the books you read
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Skimm'd with a new book — Check out what we Skimm'd for you today Subscribe Read in browser March 28, 2024 Daily Skimm Skimm'd with a new book Update location or View forecast “Why wouldn
"Red-Shouldered Hawk" by Ciona Rouse
Thursday, March 28, 2024
We met in the middle of the street only to discuss Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day March 28, 2024 Red-Shouldered Hawk Ciona Rouse We met in the middle of the street only to discuss the
The 'Kitty Cut' Is Poised To Be 2024's #1 Haircut Trend
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Run, don't walk to your stylist.
Shopping on Amazon Is About to Get Even Worse
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
How to Make Sure Your Solar Eclipse Glasses Actually Work. I don't need to tell you that Amazon's search results keep getting worse and worse. Now, Amazon has decided to pour AI-powered jet
The Women Who Run Harlem
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
What's new today on the Cut — covering style, self, culture, and power, plus interviews, profiles, columns, and commentary from our editors. Brand Logo WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27 power The Women Who Run
Burn Belly Fat in Just 28 Days!
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
This science-backed plan really works Men's Health shop logo The Ultimate Belly Fat Workout From Men's Health View in Browser Men's Health 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Get Rid of Your Gut for