How to Avoid the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying

We can learn a lot from the polls conducted by British hospice workers of thousands of dying people.  The answers were intended to help us take full advantage of our lives and not experience these Top 5 Regrets.

1. I wish hadn’t worked so hard.  Working is a great thing, but working exclusively, or at the expense of relationships could very well lead to having this regret yourself. What might you do to balance your work with more fun?  What is fun for you?  Do something really silly and fun…have a marshmallow war at home with your kids…schedule some  daily fun activity, even 15 minutes…Place a game on the kitchen table like Mancala and watch what happens, do you design your spaces for chance encounters? Think about it and stay tuned for ways to easily do that.

2. I wish I’d stayed in touch with my friends.  Right now, pick up your phone and text or email.  Just say, “Hi.” Make an excuse to get together because social support is one of those resiliences that leads to a happier, longer, healthier life.  There’s no better reason to get your house in order than to have a party…schedule a tea or lunch or a children’s get together and I bet you’ll start to look at your home a little differently in the preparation.

3. I wish let myself be happier.  Just do it.  Be happy right now.  Not possible?  Okay, look around you.  What makes you happy right now?  Nothing? Really?  Then do a web search for something happy…search images for “Baby Elephant” or Smiling and happy people.  Donate, discard or otherwise remove and replace things in your environment that don’t bring you joy.  Invite a friend to help you and you’ll solve two of the 5 things at once!

4. I wish had the courage to express my true self.  Do you feel safe to express your true self?  How often do you come from your heart space?  How often do you sing?  Can you dance?  (Check out Gabrielle Roth’s Inspired Dance…it’s so easy to flow and let the junk go so your heart can shine.) Does your home reflect your favorite colors?  Your style?  Favorite furnishings?  Can you say what you feel and be honest about it?  Express your true self…show up and your people will come to support and love you for just who you are.

5. I wish lived a life true to my dreams instead of what others expected of me.  What are your dreams?  What do you want?  Do you know?  Take time to write down the feelings, experiences and things that will be true to your dreams.  Place images and pictures of the things your heart desires around you…create a Vision Seed Board or a Mind Movie…getting clear about your dreams is the first step to living them.

What can you do to not be living these top 5 regrets now?

If you don’t know, try clearing your current clutter, clean out one drawer and replace only what you love, spend time removing the things that you don’t like and allow the void of space to be empty until you do discover what it is that you want to create.

How Online Gaming Helps Reverse the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying

Studies are now showing just how online gaming directly converts those regrets into the strengths established by many people who experience Post Traumatic Growth…yet, without the trauma.

When Jane McGonigal, video game designer, found herself bedridden and suicidal following a severe concussion, she had a fascinating idea for how to get better. She dove into the scientific research and created the healing game, SuperBetter.  In her moving, free online TED talk, Jane explains how a game can boost resilience — and promises to add 7.5 minutes to your life, just for watching.  Jane also explains how video games shift the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying into a happy, successful and enjoyable—and longer life.  Watch the video: Jane McGonigal: The Game That Can Give You 10 Extra Years of Your Life.

The Top 5 Regrets and How Gaming Changes Them for Us

1. I wish hadn’t worked so hard.  Jane explains that this usually means: I wish I had more fun and spent more time with my family.  She cites a study from BYU that shows parents who spent time playing video games with their kids have much stronger real life relationships with them.  The other day I played  a video game with my sons: Tiger Woods Golf.  It was a blast, we played a course that we played in ‘real life’ only better; what a great memory and so much fun!

2. I wish I’d stayed in touch with my friends.  Jane explains that online games help us stay connected. A Michigan University study outlines how online games are an incredibly powerful relationship management tool, helping people stay connected.  Jump onto Scrabble With Friends or Fantasy Football!

3. I wish let myself be happier Get this!  A study conducted at East Carolina University shows that online games outperform pharmaceuticals for treating clinical anxiety and depression.  Just 30 minutes of online gaming created dramatic boosts in mood and long term increases in happiness.

4. I wish had the courage to express my true self.  Many online games allow us to create an Avatar which helps us express our most heroic, creative version of who we might become.  A 5-year Stanford University study is documenting how playing a game with an idealized avatar makes us more courageous, ambitious and more committed to our goals.

5. I wish lived a life true to my dreams instead of what others expected of me.  You’ll have to watch for the answer to that one.  And in the meantime, Jane promises to add 7.5 minutes to your life just by watching this.  It’s exquisite!

Online games also help increase life span by building 4 specific life strengths called “resiliences” in a way similar to those developed by some people after experiencing a trauma.  Without having to experience a Trauma, read more or watch Jane’s video to learn how you can right now build these important strengths and enjoy your life more and for longer!

Jane McGonigal: The Game That Can Give You 10 Extra Years of Your Life.