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What Are The Top 5 Regrets of People Who Are Dying?

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I am in the middle of reading ‘The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying’.

Published by Hay House in March 2012, this is a beautiful, powerful and moving book written by Australian musician Bronnie Ware, based on her varied life experiences, particularly those as a palliative care nurse.

It really makes you think about the importance of living life to the full, being yourself, fully embracing all life’s lessons as blessings and not allowing others, or convention, or fear, to dictate what and who you can be.

It appeals strongly to my dedication to the fulfilling of human potential, and I am finding it very inspiring and engaging, reflecting on the importance of courage – particularly the Courage to Love, which just happens to be the title of my forthcoming new edition of poetry, currently in press.

These are the top 5 regrets Bronnie details in the book:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

Bronnie tells how the time she spent caring for those nearing the end of their earthly life and what she learned from them helped her to transform the way she lives, creating a career which supports her and nourishes her gifts and talents, overcoming self-doubt, and loving and accepting herself and those around her.  The book emerged from a blog post which attracted massive attention, with millions of people reading, which you can find here.

It reminds me in some ways of the wonderful book by Eugene O’Kelly, ‘Chasing Daylight – How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life’, which is a real wake up call about how a highly successful man, a self-confessed ‘Type A’ leader, has to adapt to finding out he has only a few months left to live.

All this prompts me to revisit a poem I wrote a while ago for a friend who was going through some of life’s inevitable challenges, en-couraging him to take a different view on all that was happening.

Carpe Diem! 

Blessings

Whatever
Happens in our lives
We can learn from it,
Accept and assimilate the experience
As a Blessing.
Often,
When I was a little girl
My mother would advise me
After some disappointment,
Some less than perfect event,
That it was probably
A blessing in disguise.
It has taken me a long time
To fully appreciate
The wisdom inherent
In those words.
Now, I can see
Clearly
How So many things
That have and have not
Happened
Are really, truly Blessings.
What I have gained
From my less glorious times
Has been immeasurable
Wealth,
In Emotional
Mental and
Spiritual Realms.
What is the blessing
In where you are now?
In what has happened?
It has created space
For More
Love
More Joy
More Beauty
More Fulfilment
To enter your life.
If this had not occurred
You would not be opening
Your heart to the delights
That are presenting themselves now.
Your career would not
Be opening up either:
As painful as it is,
Sometimes
We have to give up
Let go of attachments
That no longer serve us,
To see what might
Be possible.
Know that I am here
As a sure and steady friend
With a heart full of Love,
Care, and concern,
Who will stand firm
And support you
In any way I can.
You are the purveyor
Of dreams: Day dreams, fantasies,
Wonders of the mind.
If you are true
To your heartfelt teaching
You will soon create
The life you want and deserve,
And the world,
The universe
Will roll in ecstasy
At your feet.
And I
Will be there for you
When you want me.
Top 5 Regrets Amazon
Chasing Daylight – Amazon
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About

Christine is a psychologist, executive coach, mentor, speaker, published author and poet. With a varied and successful 25-year career in research and consulting across diverse sectors, she now conducts leadership and organisational transformations. As a guide and mentor she seeks to release untapped potential in her clients.

She has recently completed extensive research into creating sustainable cultures for more values-driven, loving, compassionate organisations, with over sixty global leaders, ranging from HH the Dalai Lama to Sir Terry Leahy and The Rt Hon Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business. Christine is a Fellow of London Metropolitan University Business School’s Centre for Progressive Leadership.

Christine is able to adapt to different environments and issues quickly, where she is known for her ethical approach, her empathy, her stimulating and thought-provoking method of questioning, and for her ability to put people at ease. She is renowned for her creative resourcefulness and wisdom, her penetrating analysis, insights and ability to provoke transformational thinking and action for organisations and individual coaching and consulting clients worldwide.

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