5 things people regret the most in 40s and 50s

People regret these 5 things the most in their 40s and 50s

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference.

There are strong chances that when you recited this poem by Robert Frost in Grade Nine, with eyes shining with the innocence that only childhood could offer, you hadn’t experienced the literal meaning of the word ‘guilt.’ Back then, the world was a huge ocean of possibilities and in the small but beautiful world consisting of classroom and home, there wasn’t enough time to question which road we choose to travel by.

What do you regret?

Now, even as we dash to live our life to the fullest, swearing to live by ‘no regrets’, there is still a huge possibility that most of us worry about wasting our lives or not doing enough when we still have the time ‘to make things right’. Regret is rightfully one of the most negative emotions one can ever encounter and it can be especially daunting as life doesn’t always offer a second chance to make things right.

So, what do you regret? Spending too much time thinking about what others think of you? Not taking enough chances? Not giving a second chance to the one that got away? Not loving yourself enough or embracing every inch of your body exactly the way it is, years ago? Poor financial choices? Not spending enough time with your family? Regret hurting others badly or treating someone you knew poorly?

We asked 5 middle-aged adults

People, most of than not, have a lot of regrets on their death bed and wish that they had the chance to re-do certain aspects of their life. But what about those in their 40s and 50s who still have some time to change things? We asked 5 people in the middle-age group about the things that they regretted the most and about the situations they wanted to revisit and change a thing or two. Here is what we found:

01/ ​Wasting time worrying and being scared

One of the regrets that cut really deep was related to wasting time worrying about what others had to say and not giving themselves a chance. So, whether it was about not standing up for themselves, giving up to peer pressure when choosing a career path, not being brave or open for novel chances in life or even not being brave enough to date out of their comfort zone--plenty of people strongly regretted not doing their own thing and backing away from opportunities that could have changed the course of their life.

02/ ​Not taking the risk when they had time

One of the most common pieces of advice that came from the middle-age group was to go for whatever you feel is right for you, instead of outright setting for the safer option. Take all your chances and risks when you can as you have a lot of time later in your life to play it safe and stick to your comfort zone. In your 20s and 30s, when you have the option to chase your deepest passions and hiding in a tried and tested zone, always choose the former.

03/ ​Dragging a bad relationship/ not quitting a bad job

Another aspect of life in which most people wanted a do-over was sticking to a bad situation for longer than required. While it is obviously a good trait to give your everything to make things work--be it a job or a relationship, it is also advisable to move on when things do not seem to change or become toxic.

04/ ​Not being there when someone died

Ultimately, there is no regret as heartbreaking and gut-wrenching as the one related to the death of a loved one and wishing that you were there to make things right. So, whether it is not being able to mend relationships with a relative before he/she died to not being able to spend enough time with their grandparents before they passed away, the regret related to death and not being able to do something about it seems to hit the hardest--no matter what age.

05/ ​Not pursuing higher studies

Some of the unhappiest people in the middle-age group were the ones who did not pursue higher education when they were younger as they believe it could have given a different shape to their career, altogether. Their advice? Study as much as you can and as thoroughly as you can. Studying never ever goes to waste.

from LifeStyle