Another great post by Dr Perman I have to share.
A Life With No Regrets
We lost a truly magnificent human being last week – Dr. Maya Angelou, poet, author, speaker, actress, historian, philosopher and activist, closed her eyes for the last time on May 28, 2014, at the age of eighty-six. The recipient of over fifty honorary degrees, she was recognized by President Obama with the Medal of Freedom in 2011, the highest civilian award our country offers.
I also received a fascinating article from my brother, Dr. Steve Perman of Boca Raton FL. (Steve is running for state rep in his district, so if you like the idea of supporting chiropractors serving in elected office, go to www.believeinsteve.com and find out what you can do to help.)
This story was written several years ago by an Australian songwriter and author named Bronnie Ware, first published on inspirationandchai.com, by way of Real Farmacy, brought back by “The Mind Unleashed.” It focuses on the top five regrets people expressed before they died. Ms Ware was also a nurse whose job encompassed hospice work, so she got to spend the last minutes with many patients, which yielded this list of what these people would have done differently.
1. “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” Ware claims that this was the most common remark she heard. She explains, “It is very important to try and honor at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.”
2. “I wish I didn’t work so hard.” Ware reports that every man she cared for expressed this sentiment or something like it.
3. “I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.” Ware says, “We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.”
4. “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.” Ware discovered that friendships were often taken for granted, or not explored to unfold their full potential.
5. “I wish that I had let myself be happier.” Ware muses, “How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying. Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.
This is a chilling list, as I’m sure you see yourself, as I do, in at least one of these deathbed laments, maybe more than one. But here’s the good news – you are most likely not at the very end of your life, and there is time to proceed from now on with a sense of purpose and fulfillment, the way Maya Angelou advises us: “ I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think is the right thing, I will not do it.” Take it to heart – embrace every second fully, and experience a life of presence, gratitude, joy and love, based on your values and priorities.
Dennis Perman DC,
for The Masters Circle
