Greetings and salutations!
Last week we talked about how to start the process of living a life without regrets by touching on what it does not have to look like and also how to untangle your identity from what’s temporary.
Let’s take that a step further today and look at 3 more steps you can take to eliminate that dirty word “regret” from your life.
Pay attention to what you ingest
This one might sound a little funky, so stick with me here.
While diet plays a huge role in the way we feel, function, and enjoy our lives, what we ingest is obviously not limited to food and drink.
I know for me this was a BIG one and over time, it revolutionized my own self growth journey and created happiness and fulfillment that I had never known was possible.
I realized what I was consuming from the world (plenty of television and movies with dark, violent themes, super sad music, mind-numbing social media, etc.) was feeding my negative mindset and experience.
So, I traded some of that out for things that inspired me and made me feel better long term.
I began:
- Engaging with as many positive podcasts and books as I could, even though I scoffed at them at first
- Listening to music that lifted my mood and made me want to dance and sing
- Spending less time with negative people
That last one is the hardest and arguably the most important, so let’s go into that a little more deeply.
Take a long look at your support system
Motivational speaker and self-help guru Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
And while there are always exceptions to this, when it comes to our mindsets, our personal growth, our belief systems, and our overall happiness, this principle tends to be dead on.
So, what we gotta ask ourselves is whether that quote from ol’ Jim fills us with joy (“That’s great! My inner circle is a bangin’ bunch of humans who inspire me to be better every day!”) or a sinking mix of dread and terror (“Uh oh. I don’t know if I want to be like these people.”)
If you’re finding yourself in the latter category, then part of living without regrets may look like spending less time with certain people.
This is a process that can take years, so you don’t have to send a mass “screw you!” text to your friend group just yet.
Just notice if this principle encourages you to find some new energy-giving people who are more on your level and if it does, open yourself up to that idea.
Enjoy the journey
The most common regrets people have are 1) being too much of a people pleaser, 2) working too hard, 3) suppressing/ignoring emotions, 4) not spending enough time with loved ones, and 5) not allowing oneself to be happy.
As humans, we really like the principle of working super hard until we “get there.”
But as we’ve talked about before, we can’t actually accomplish this, because there is no “there” to get to.
The future is a mental construct that only ever shows up as the present moment.
So, what fulfills you, sweet friend?
Take a break from all your kicking ass and taking names from time to time so you can enjoy what lights you up.
Go off the beaten path once in a while and have an adventure, whatever that looks like for you.
Give yourself permission to sink into a delicious moment and enjoy every drop.
Because if you don’t actively choose happiness, then happiness can’t choose you.