5 lessons for living
Good morning,
I hope you had a good weekend!
Below, you’ll find creative ways to save and make money. But also motivation to treat your week as the beautiful gift that it is. And a reminder that life is for living.
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Years ago, I read the 5 Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware. It was a book that changed my perspective on many things, so I’d like to share the main lessons with you.
Bronnie spent years as a long term care provider for the terminally ill.
She identified patterns among the main life regrets of her patients. They are life lessons we can all use now to better our lives.
Regret # 1. “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected from me.”
Bronnie cared for a woman who stayed with the same controlling man her entire life to please her family. When he died, she found out she was sick shortly after. She was never able to truly live.
In fact, this was the most common regret of her patients. We feel we should have a certain job. Or be a certain wife or mother. We give into peer pressure.
Lesson: Let go of what others think and be true to yourself.
Regret #2. “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.”
She tells the story of a husband and wife who dreamed of traveling together after retirement. The man continually put off his retirement for “one more year,” until they eventually found out that she was ill. She died before they could live out their dream. And he regretted his decision to keep working until his dying day.
Lesson: Spend enough time with people you love and in a job that fulfills you. At the end of your life, the hours of working for money and status matter much less than you think.
Regret #3. “I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.”
Millions of people do not live to old age.
Some die unexpectedly.
There was a heartbreaking story of a mom in her 40s leaving behind a nine year old daughter.
Lesson: You never know when it is your time. It’s important to tell the people in your life that you love them often. Give Hugs. And be open and honest in relationships.
Regret #4. “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.”
Bronnie found that many of her patients were quite lonely. While families were present, they were often out of town or running their own lives as well.
Many people regretted not having made the effort to make like minded friends or stay in touch with old ones.
Lesson: In today’s society, we have many friendly acquaintances, but fewer true friends that will be there for us when we need it.
Life gets busy and time slips by. But don’t let relationships slip with it.
Regret #5. “I wish I had let myself be happier.”
Some patients felt they weren’t deserving of happiness. Others regretted worrying too much over trivial things and being overly focused on results throughout their lives.
Happiness is RIGHT NOW. It’s not whether you get a thinner body or make more money. It’s the little moments in your day.
As Bronnie says in the book, “we have the freedom to choose what we focus on.”
Lesson: You can train your mind to think positively and appreciate the radiant sunshine or gorgeous flower. Choose where to put your energy.
In the end, Bronnie found that no one cared about the stuff they owned.
They cared about what they did, how happy they let themselves be, and the positive influence they had on others.
Remove one distraction from your week.
(Let’s face it, it’s probably phone time)
Instead, use the time you would have wasted to learn, do deep focused work, or improve your personal life.
I stand up for what I need today.
Write about any financial boundaries you need to set with yourself or others to maintain your mental and emotional health.
What did one penny say to the other penny?
Let’s get together and make some cents.
Thank you for reading and being a part of the Wealthy Woman community. I hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter. If you have anything at all you’d like to share, ask, or say, just hit reply. I’d love to hear from you.
I appreciate you!
Love always,
Jenn Kropf
Certified Financial Educator
Founder of Wealthy Woman Finance
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