10 Choices You’ll Regret In 10 Years

by Marelisa

The choices you make today will determine where you find yourself 10 years from now. Are you making choices that you’ll regret?

Regret is a negative emotional state that involves feeling sad over a choice made in the past. It’s often accompanied by a sense of loss and leads to self-blame. When we regret having done something–or failing to take some action–we wish we had done things differently, when we had the chance.

The pain of regret is summed up nicely in these three famous quotes about regret:

“Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, ‘It might have been.’” ― Kurt Vonnegut
“Footfalls echo in the memory down the passage which we did not take towards the door we never opened into the rose-garden.” – T. S. Eliot
“Go to the effort. Invest the time. Write the letter. Make the apology. Take the trip. Purchase the gift. Do it. The seized opportunity renders joy. The neglected brings regret.” – Max L. Lucado

What’s the point of thinking about regret? Thinking about the things you may regret ten years from now can help you to make the choices today which will allow you to sidestep those regrets in the future. Below you’ll find ten choices you’ll regret in ten years:

1. You’ll Regret Making the Choice Not to Take Charge of Your Life. If you don’t choose to take control of your life, today, you’ll regret it. Ten years from now . . .

You’ll regret choosing to wait for a lucky break, instead of going out there and making your own luck.
You’ll regret choosing to wait for someone else to take a chance on you, instead of taking a chance on yourself.
You’ll regret choosing to wait for permission to go after what you want –from your parents, your teachers, your boss, your spouse, and so on—instead of giving yourself permission.
You’ll regret choosing to allow others to make decisions for you, instead of taking the reins and making your own decisions.

2. You’ll Regret Not Making the Choice to Be Financially Free. If you don’t make the choice, today, to put your financial life in order, you’ll regret it. Ten years from now . . .

You’ll regret choosing to go into debt, instead of being more selective with your purchases and living within your means.
You’ll regret choosing not to set some money aside, instead of opening a savings account and depositing some money in it every month.
You’ll regret choosing not to learn how to invest your money, instead of reading a few well-selected personal finance books and applying what you learned.
You’ll regret choosing not to take steps to increase your revenue, instead of using your weekends to start a side business or setting aside one-hour-a-day to create additional sources of revenue.

3. You’ll Regret Making the Choice to Give In to Fear. If you don’t make the choice, today, to face and conquer your fears, you’ll regret it. Ten years from now . . .

You’ll regret making the choice not to ask for the promotion because you were afraid you would be turned down, instead of giving your boss evidence of your value to the company.
You’ll regret making the choice not to go on that trip because you were afraid to travel alone, instead of packing your bags, getting on the plane, and going on an awesome solo-adventure.
You’ll regret making the choice to end that relationship because you were afraid they would eventually break your heart, instead of allowing yourself to be vulnerable and trusting the other person.
You’ll regret making the choice not to compete because you were afraid to lose, instead of giving it your all and competing like the best of them.

4. You’ll Regret Not Making the Choice to Take Care of Your Health. If you don’t make the choice, today, to follow a healthy lifestyle, you’ll regret it. Ten years from now . . .

You’ll regret making the choice to eat highly processed foods containing lots of fat and sugar, instead of eating healthy meals filled with all the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs to function optimally.
You’ll regret making the choice to lead a sedentary lifestyle, instead of taking 10,000 steps a day and hitting the gym to lift weights on a regular basis.
You’ll regret making the choice to continue smoking, instead of giving up cigarettes and finding other ways to release stress.
You’ll regret making the choice to abuse alcohol, instead of drinking in moderation.

5. You’ll Regret Not Making the Choice to Spend More Time With Loved Ones. If you don’t make the choice, today, to make your relationships with the most important people in your life a priority, you’ll regret it. Ten years from now . . .

You’ll regret making the choice to blow off your friends, instead of making time to hang out with your tribe — people who support your dreams and want the best for you.
You’ll regret making the choice to neglect your spouse and taking them for granted, instead of making them your number one priority.
You’ll regret making the choice to skip your kids’ recitals and sporting events, instead of being present for all of their important milestones.

6. You’ll Regret Making the Choice to Postpone Happiness. If you don’t make the choice to be intentionally happy, today, you’ll regret it. Ten years from now. . .

You’ll regret making the choice to hold off on being happy until you arrived at your intended destination, instead of enjoying the journey.
You’ll regret making the choice to make your happiness contingent on having achieved certain goals, instead of accepting and being happy with yourself as you are.
You’ll regret making the choice to demand that everything go your way in order to be happy, instead of learning to be happy with what is.

7. You’ll Regret Not Making the Choice to Be a Life-Long Learner. If you don’t make the choice to become a habitual learner, today, you’ll regret it. Ten years from now . . .

You’ll regret making the choice not to develop a career plan, instead of continuously updating your job skills and keeping abreast of industry trends and changes in technology.
You’ll regret making the choice to remain unilingual, instead of learning another language.
You’ll regret making the choice not to take those piano lessons, instead of making the effort to learn to play an instrument.
You’ll regret making the choice to ignore all of the learning opportunities available on the internet, instead of following up on your interests by watching videos and taking online courses.

8. You’ll Regret Making the Choice to Dwell On Grudges. If you don’t make the choice to let go of your grievances, today, you’ll regret it. Ten years from now . . .

You’ll regret making the choice to waste your time thinking of the past and the people who have hurt you, instead of planning for a better future.
You’ll regret making the choice to spend your time blaming others for your problems, instead of spending your time looking for solutions to those problems.
You’ll regret making the choice to refuse to forgive and allowing anger and hatred to drain your energy, instead of harnessing your energy and moving on.

9. You’ll Regret Making the Choice Not to Pursue Your Passion. If you don’t make the choice to do what you love, today, you’ll regret it. Ten years from now . . .

You’ll regret making the choice to settle for a job that pays the bills, instead of pursuing a vocation you love.
You’ll regret making the choice to give up chasing your dreams in the face of obstacles, instead of looking for ways over, under, or around the obstacles.
You’ll regret making the choice to put security above all else, instead of taking risks in order to follow your bliss.

10. You’ll Regret Making the Choice to Conform. If you don’t make the choice to be yourself and follow your own path, today, you’ll regret it. Ten years from now . . .

You’ll regret making the choice to adhere to the rules created by others, instead of making your own rules.
You’ll regret making the choice not to try new things to avoid looking foolish and being mocked by others, instead of doing your own thing and refusing to allow the opinion of others to deter you.
You’ll regret making the choice to blend into the crowd, instead of allowing yourself to step into the spotlight and shine.

Conclusion

What will your life be like ten years from now? It depends on the choices you make today. Make sure that those choices don’t fill you with regret ten years from now. Live your best life by refusing to make the ten choices outlined above; that is, don’t make choices that you’ll regret.