Close your eyes and imagine that you’re at your own funeral—a bit morbid I know, but there’s a reason for it. Now think about what you’d like people to say about you. What kind of a life do you want to lead? People die with all kinds of regrets. Don’t be one of them.
1. I wish I’d cared less about what other people think
我希望我不那么在乎别人的想法
It’s only when you realise how little other people are really thinking of you (in a negative sense) that you realise how much time you spent caring and wasting energy worrying about this.
You don’t have to have won an Oscar, built up a business or run a marathon, but having small personal accomplishments is important.
并不是非获奥斯卡大奖不可，不是去干一番大事业也不是去跑马拉松，但小小的个人成就也很重要。
3. I wish I had told __ how I truly felt
我希望我说出对某事的真实感受
Even if the “one” doesn’t exist, telling someone how you truly feel will always save you from that gut wrenching “but what if…” feeling that could linger for life if you stay quiet.
Sometimes, it’s too easy to think that if you go all out to please everyone you’ll be liked more or your partner won’t run off with anyone else. I think age probably teaches us to be nice but not at the expense of our own happiness.
It’s so easy to be seduced by a stable salary, a solid routine and a comfortable life, but at what expense?
往往容易被一份稳定的薪水诱惑，有规律的上下班工作，过着舒坦随心的日子，但代价是什么呢？
6. I wish our last conversation hadn’t been an argument.
我希望我们最后一次对话不是以一场争论结束的
Life is short, and you never really know when the last time you speak to someone you love will be. It’s these moments that really stay clear in peoples’ minds.
7. I wish I had let my children grow up to be who they wanted to be.
我希望我把我的孩子抚养成他们想要成为的人
The realisation that love, compassion and empathy are so much more important than clashes in values or belief systems can hit home hard.
爱心、同情心和共鸣要远比利益冲突或信仰价值重要得多，这样的意识会在某一刻狠狠击中你。
8. I wish I had lived more in the moment.
我希望此刻长久一些
Watching children grow up makes you realise how short-lived and precious time really is, and as we age, many of us live less and less in the present.
看到孩子们长大成人，你会意识到生命如此短暂如此宝贵，随着年龄的增长，我们很多人的余生越来越短暂。
9. I wish I had worked less
我希望我减少工作时间
There’s always a desire to have loosened up a bit more with this one and the realisation that financial success or career accomplishment doesn’t necessarily equal a fulfilled life.
总渴望多放松一下自己，意识到经济成功或职业成就并不一定等于你拥有幸福满足的生活。
10. I wish I had travelled more
我希望我多出去旅游
It can be done at any age, with kids or not but many talk themselves out of it for all kinds of reasons such as lack of money, mortgage, children, etc. When there’s a regret, you know it could have been possible at some stage.
11. I wish I had trusted my gut rather than listening to everyone else
我希望我相信我的直觉而不是听别人的
Making your own decisions and feeling confident in the decisions you make gives us fulfilment and joy from life. Going against your gut only breeds resentment and bitterness.
自己做决定才会对自己的决定有自信，感受生命中的成就和喜悦。违背自己的直觉只能留给自己怨恨和痛苦。
12. I wish I’d taken better care of myself
我希望我把自己照顾得好一些
Premature health problems or ageing always makes you wonder if you’d eaten healthier, exercised more and been less stressed, would you be where you are today?
Everyone has their own idea of what’s risky, but you know when you’re living too much in your comfort zone. In hindsight, some people feel they missed out on a lot of adventure life has to offer.
Many people say time speeds up as we age. The six weeks of summer holidays we had as kids certainly seemed to last a lifetime. If time speeds up, then it’s even more important to make the most of every moment.
If you’ve ever kept a diary and looked back, you’ll probably wonder why you ever got so worked up over X.
如果你曾记日记，回过头来看看，很可能你想知道为什么你要为X卖命般地工作。
16. I wish I’d appreciated ___ more
我希望我更加感激___
The consequences of taking people for granted are always hard to deal with.
把别人对你的好当做理所当然，后果总是让人很棘手。
17. I wish I’d spent more time with my family
我希望我陪伴家人的时间多一些
Some people get caught up with work, move to other parts of the world, grow old with grudges against family members only to realise their priorities were in the wrong place.
