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Most of us limit ourselves, at least in some ways, and most of the time, we don’t even realize we’re doing it.

We have beliefs of what we’re capable of doing and what we’re not capable of doing, and we align ourselves with those beliefs even if we’re not entirely conscious that we hold them, and even if they aren’t really true.

We might give into a knee-jerk feeling of fear when we think about doing something we want to do, without questioning whether that fear is truly keeping us safe, or just trying to keep us from exploring something new.

We may think about all of the reasons why we can’t do something rather than open our minds to the ways things could work out.

We can also spend too much time focused so much on the daily tasks and the things we “have” to do that we set our deeper interests, passions, and priorities aside. We may put a lot of effort into things that don’t really mean anything to us and not spend enough time doing the things that light us up or being present in our lives with the people and things and moments that do matter.

I’ve come to a point in life where I really don’t like thinking in terms of regrets because I believe that we’re always doing the best we can, and even if we look back on the past and wish we could have done something differently or made a different choice, if we’re honest with ourselves, and inquire within, we’ll see that we did the best we could at the time. If we understand ourselves—who we were, what we were feeling, what we were going through, our level of awareness—we can understand.

Feelings of regret can dissolve with self-compassion and understanding.

With that said, I like what’s listed in this video because while we may know these points, while we may have heard them often before, I think they’re good reminders for all of us, reminders of how we can live our lives authentically, in ways that matter to us.

Check out the full video here:

Here are nine common regrets people have when looking back on their lives (as discussed in the video):

1. Caring too much about what other people think

2. Not following their passion in life

3. Working too much

4. Not saying how they truly feel

5. Not standing up for themselves more

6. Not believing in themselves enough

7. Not taking better care of yourself

8. Not taking more risks

9. Not living in the moment more

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