13 Things You Will Regret Not Doing—The Most Common Regrets

These are the 13 biggest regrets in life you might have

A lot of people have something that they regret doing or not doing. Most of these things can be avoided. That’s why I decided to come up with a list of things you will regret not doing in life.

Every day we get a new opportunity to live our life to the fullest. We should make every day count. Trust me, you don’t want to look back in 5, 10, or even 20 years and feel regret about things you didn’t do. That’s why it’s really important to take action now!

Remember, every tiny step you take leads you toward a better life. Now, let’s look at those “tiny steps,” aka the most common regrets people have.

This post may contain affiliate links. That means that if you click on a link and purchase something I recommend, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

What behaviors can you avoid to improve your life?

1. Letting other people tell you how to live

Letting other people tell you how to live means caring too much about other people’s opinions. Basically, you’re telling yourself that your true self is not okay.

I get that sometimes our self-esteem is tied to what other people think. When they say something good about us, our self-esteem rises. When they say something bad, it lowers our self-esteem. However, in this way, you’re like a slave to them.

You need to realize that most of the time, when you’re worried about what other people think, it’s a prediction. You don’t actually know what they think, and you’re pinning your own opinion of yourself on them.

After all, it’s your life, and only you know what’s best for you.

Still, learning to let go, increasing your self-esteem, and stopping comparing yourself to other people are things you won’t regret doing in life, so focus on these instead.

2. Not apologizing for your mistakes

Apologizing for your mistakes doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’re humble and willing to learn from your mistakes.

Apologizing shows empathy, and it can actually earn you some respect. It’s a good way to recognize your own mistakes and move on.

If you’re not very experienced at apologizing but you’d like to learn more about it, read this post about how to apologize sincerely.

3. Worrying about everything

Some people worry all the time, although there might not even be anything to worry about. I kind of belong to those people.

Not learning how to stop worrying is one of the biggest regrets in life you can have if you don’t take action now.

Natural worrying is okay, like when you think about unpaid bills or upcoming job interviews. However, when it becomes excessive, it will interfere with your life and take a toll on both your physical and mental health.

We tend to think of worrying as something that helps us avoid bad things and prevent problems, but it actually has no positive impact on us. We need to stop worrying if we want to live our lives to the fullest.

I also feel like worrying is connected with not allowing yourself to fail. What happens if you fail? Why are you so worried about it?

Instead of worrying, try this approach. If something bad happens to you, try to understand what good it might bring or how it can help you move forward. Everything happens for a reason to teach us something, and worrying doesn’t contribute to it.

4. Not taking care of your health

When I talk about taking care of your health, I mean physical, mental, and social health. These are so important, and you’ll regret not taking care of yourself when you’re older. Once you realize it, it might be too late, so take action now!

Let’s go over the basics. I want you to think thoroughly about whether you have fulfilled your needs when it comes to every step I mention.

Make sure you drink enough water. It keeps you hydrated, boosts your energy levels, and keeps you healthy.

Eat healthy food. It doesn’t have to mean only vegetables, but make sure your diet is balanced. My motto is that you can eat everything, but only in moderation.

Get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation leads to multiple health problems. Besides, when you’re tired and groggy, you won’t get anything done anyway.

Have a proper morning routine like this one and a night routine like this one in place. It helps to increase your productivity drastically.

Practice gratitude and positive affirmations. It’s the easiest way to help you attract your dream life.

Invest in yourself by adopting these 50 daily habits that will change your life. It’s a cliche, but you only have one life, so make it count.

5. Not taking a break

Not taking a break is also among the most common regrets. Working nonstop doesn’t lead you to success. I think it’s something a lot of us have a hard time admitting, but hear me out.

If you work nonstop, you’ll experience burnout soon. Or if it’s not burnout, it’s certainly tiredness and demotivation. When you keep working while you’re tired, you tend to make more mistakes. You’re not that efficient anymore.

Eventually, you have to fix your mistakes. This means you’ll spend your valuable time doing something that could have been avoided in the first place if you had only taken some breaks every now and then.

Avoid toxic habits to avoid burnout and keep yourself mentally balanced. Here’s my blog post about toxic habits to avoid if you want to change your life.

6. Not striving for change and growth

Avoiding change and growth means not fighting your fears. There’s no solution here that magically helps you push through every obstacle without you having to do anything. So you have to take action.

Give yourself 5 seconds, get up off the couch, and start working on that project that you know very well you should be working on. Just do that one thing you’re so afraid of and step out of your comfort zone.

If you can’t find any motivation to start, make other people promises. Don’t promise yourself anything, as it’s much easier to break promises you make to yourself. You don’t want to break the promises you made to your friends, do you?

So tell your friends, “I’m going to become a famous blogger” or “I’m going to start a successful side business.” It creates some kind of pressure, but this pressure motivates you to work harder.

It also has a snowball effect—the more you do, the more you believe in yourself. If you do something, be incredibly good at it, because good feedback from people around you pushes you to work even harder.

And remember, motivating yourself is like taking a shower. You can’t take a shower once and say you’re clean for the rest of your life. It’s something you have to do every now and then. Do things that help keep you motivated.

7. Not spending more time with your loved ones

The only things we’ll regret are the things we didn’t do. Life is short, and I feel like spending more time with your loved ones should certainly be among your top priorities.

Spending time with people you love increases your oxytocin levels. It keeps you mentally balanced and happy. It also creates strong emotional support that helps you overcome many obstacles throughout life.

People come and go in your life, but your family and loved ones will always stay next to you. Don’t take it for granted.

8. Not using your time effectively

Living without goals is like sitting in a car and not knowing where to drive. I mean, you’ll get somewhere, but is it the place where you’d like to be?

Set SMART goals and stop procrastinating. Time is something you’ll never get back, and not using it effectively is certainly one of those things you will regret not doing in life.

Here’s my blog post about bulletproof ways to increase your productivity. They worked even for me, and I used to be the laziest person I knew.

9. Not helping people in need

If you don’t have any money to donate, you can donate your time and energy. Time is very valuable, as it’s something that can’t be bought.

Helping other people isn’t only beneficial to them. Volunteering also makes you happier and gives you a sense of purpose and belonging. It also helps to keep things in perspective and realize how much you really have to be grateful for.

10. Not working on your dream life is among the biggest regrets in life

Not working on your dream life and not pursuing your passion are also the most common regrets people can have.

The thing is, you will get exactly what you focus on the most. That’s why they say that positive thoughts attract positive things, and negative thoughts attract negative things.

Make sure that everything you do right now leads you to your final end goal. However, your main goal shouldn’t be only to reach the end goal. You should also enjoy your journey there. All the obstacles that you’ll face are part of this journey that helps you get where you want to go.

If you have difficulty finding the motivation to go to work, ask yourself if that’s really what you want to do. If we do things we like, motivation should come easily. You don’t need any motivation to work on your hobbies, do you? The same should be true of your job.

If you’re not happy with your current situation and there are things that are not helping you achieve your dream life, ditch or change them. Don’t waste your energy on stuff that has no meaning or doesn’t make you happy.

11. Not working on your financial habits

If I’ve learned something about money during my valuable 25 years on Mother Earth, then it’s that. If you want to be financially successful, start thinking like a financially successful person and start doing the things that financially successful people do.

Let me explain. This doesn’t mean buying an expensive car or a Rolex. Do things that lead rich people to richness. Think about how they act, how they talk, and whom they talk to.

Also, look at your spending, create a strict budget, and stick to it. It’s the easiest advice, yet people still tend to overlook it. Not working on your financial habits is certainly among the things you will regret not doing in life.

If you think something is expensive, then think, “It’s expensive compared to what?” So healthy food is expensive, right? I agree with you. But! Isn’t it more expensive to pay for your hospital bills when you’re struggling with health issues later in life? Let’s not even talk about the time you’ll lose.

This Pinterest marketing course you are thinking about paying for. Is it more expensive than spending years trying to figure out the solution you could easily know if you invested in that course?

My last piece of advice for you is to spend time with successful people. Adopt their mindset. The people around you play a huge part in your journey toward a better life.

If you spend time around people who think money stinks, your brain starts to adopt this mindset, and you don’t think like a rich person, so you might actually never become one.

12. Not taking risks

Not taking risks means settling for less than you deserve, which means giving up. Not taking risks is actually much riskier than taking risks because you’re letting yourself live a life that will never change.

Want to get a little push for motivation? You’ve probably at least once in your life thought about someone and said, “If they can do it, I can too.” Believe it or not, there are people who feel the same way about you too. Start taking action now, so that you can motivate those people even more.

With taking risks comes comparison. “I can’t do it as well as they did.” “I’m not experienced enough.”

Instead of comparing yourself to other people, compare yourself to the person you were ten years ago. Seeing how far you’ve already come helps to keep you motivated.

Besides, it’s not wise to compare yourself to someone who has been in this business longer than you. I often see that new bloggers compare themselves to successful bloggers who have been blogging for 10 or even more years. Why? Comparison kills the joy.

Don’t let comparisons stop you. Don’t let anything stop you. What will happen if you step out of your comfort zone and try something new? You shouldn’t care about what other people think of the outcome, as it’s your life that you’re living. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Celebrate every little win so that your body can get used to it. You’re a winner, baby!

13. Not educating yourself

Not educating yourself is 100% one of the biggest regrets in life you’ll have if you don’t take action. Learning new things helps you up your game. It keeps your brain stimulated and boosts your mental health, and by knowing how to make the right choices, you’ll also be much healthier.

Knowledge is true power. They say that the more knowledge you have, the more opportunities you have. It’s true.

Constant learning keeps you relevant and provides you with more opportunities when it comes to business. Successful bloggers are successful because they keep learning and educating themselves.

Educating yourself doesn’t mean you’re stupid. It means you’re smart enough to know that there is plenty left to learn.

Education helps broaden your knowledge and views. You will also understand the people around you and their decisions better. It’s really hard to understand different situations if the only perspective you know of is your own.

These are the things that you will regret sooner or later

That’s it for my list of things you will regret not doing in life. Do you have anything you regret? Do you wish you had done something differently? Or have you taken charge of your life and already changed something? I would love to hear about the most common regrets you have.