Common Regrets People Have

Regret is both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it is a thing you have. As a verb, it is something you do.

As a noun, regret is a sense of loss, disappointment, or dissatisfaction. It can also be described as a feeling of sorrow or remorse for something you have done or for something you have not done. Statistics show people regret more things they have not done than the things they have done.

As a verb, to regret something is to be sorry for doing something or for not doing something. It is an action taken or not taken.

Usually, regret involves a missed opportunity that you didn't take that you later wish you had. Sometimes regret involves an opportunity you took that you wish you hadn't.

As you go through the following list of regrets, you are sure to find one or more that you can relate to. Keep in mind that the list includes areas of common regrets more than your personalized regret.

One of the biggest regrets people have later in life is that they did not spend quality time with their family. They missed out on family reunions and holidays with their own relatives.

When they were younger, they made excuses. Now they are older, they don't have to make up excuses because the excuses are real. For instance, illnesses might keep people from being able to go to family outings. Expenses might also be an issue. Therefore, family members have regrets.

The relationship regret is a double-edged sword. Many regret the one that got away while an equal number regrets the one they are stuck with.

Some often wonder what would have happened if they had married their high school sweetheart. On the other hand, some are thankful they didn't continue their high school relationship into adulthood.

When people work too much that miss out on what is going on in their own households. Both men and women admit they regret spending so much time in their office instead of being home with those in their own household.

Parents realize too late that they have not been available to their children. They neglected to attend their school plays and their sporting events. They admit they regret it when their children have grown up and gone off to college and they have missed out on their formative years.

People must work to make a living, but they need to take time off to make a life. Spending time with family and friends should take the place of working to excess.

Those who have harbored unforgiveness toward family members, friends, and others regret it in the long run. People regret missing out on all the good times they could have had with people if they had forgiven them for something they did to them or said about them.

At the time, the hurt was too heavy for forgiveness, but over the years, there might have been missed opportunities for forgiveness that are regrettable. Because the hatchet wasn't buried long ago, people have died without being forgiven and those who could have forgiven them didn't do it and now they regret it.

When people look back over their lives, they realize they have spent a great deal of time caring about what people thought about them over the years.

Instead of dismissing the negative things, they fumed and became angry. Many of the things were so trivial that nobody remembers what was said. However, they still remember the hurt that the negative talk caused.

If they were put in that situation today, they would not care what people said about them. The bottom line is that people don't think about you as often as you think they do.

Some people look back with regret on the friendships they let go by the wayside. The friendships include those from high school, college, jobs, and other phases of their lives. They turned out to be unmaintained friendships.

Old and cherished friendships have been formed over the years. Unfortunately, some people regret not keeping in touch. It might not be too late or impossible in some cases to track down old friends and be reunited.

Everybody knows that when a person doesn't stand up for himself, he is not living his true self. There comes a time in people's lives when they get tired of others telling them what to do and making decisions for them.

Many of us have regrets for not standing up to the bullies in our lives who started in school and followed us into our adult lives.

It does take a lot of courage to stand up to others, but it is the lesser of two evils. The other evil is regretting it later. Life is hard on its own without people bullying us and bossing us around.

Some people try to keep the peace and not rock the boat. They end up regretting not standing up for themselves. It is much better to stand up for yourself then takint those egrets to your grave.

Some people regret not having taken risks. They experience this when they look back over their lives and realize they could have had so much more if they had not played it safe. If they had taken risks, they would have been more successful and happier than they are today.

They might regret having not taken that high paying job because it involved travel. Had they taken the job, they would have been paid much more than they are making now. Besides, they could have traveled the world and gotten paid for doing so.

To rub salt in the wound, friends did it and are now living a fruitful life because they dared to take a risk.

Risks don’t always work out, but some of them do. You will never know until you risk something.