What are you afraid of?

A lot of people are scared of dying – obviously, but its not death that most people are really afraid of.

If you were to really slow down and think about it, you’ll probably conclude that what you should be afraid of is getting to the end of your life, only to realise that you missed the chance to truly live.

You’ve probably read about a study amongst elderly people facing death – close to their last breath.

They were not scared of dying – they accepted that was nature’s way and inevitable. They felt they had lived a good life given their circumstances

What saddened them, was when they were asked to reflect on their life’s biggest regret.

Nearly all of them said that they didn’t regret what they did – even if the outcome wasn’t always positive. But what they completely regretted was the things that they did NOT DO – the risks they never took, the opportunities they did not say yes to, the dreams they did not pursue.

Quite sobering isn’t it?

Even my head is spinning – is there something I’ve not done yet and going to regret if I don’t go for it?

If you were on your deathbed, would your last words be: “If only I had” or “If only I did…”?

Most people I know work hard and often work long hours. That’s modern life, isn’t it?

Been doing it for over 25 years myself in the wonderful world of investment banking.

But life is not meant to be just work (even if you have the best job in the world with a high salary), pay the bills, buy stuff and wait for the once a year vacation.

No, no, no – it can’t be.

There must be more to life than that?

I found that out for myself when I was hit by a car whilst walking home from work one evening – that’s another story for another day (remind me to tell you when we meet).

Every person on this planet has a gift and a dream they have to pursue.

That is not meant to sound a bit woo-woo!

Think about it like this…

You know all about Martin Luther King’s famous speech and the work he did to change the the perception of the world – “I had a dream”.

Wow – I wish I had a dream like that.

But the thing is this – I can’t choose my dreams – a dream will choose me.

Martin Luther King was the chosen one. The dream became his purpose.

I bet that’s true for you too.

What is the dream that has picked YOU?

So, going back to avoiding regret..

Most people – and I definitely include myself in this – play it safe. We dream of things but don’t take action – we just sit there – take the safe option where there is no chance of failure or risk of losing. Its easy not to stretch ourselves – especially when it looks like we’ve already achieved so much….

• Top job at an investment bank? – check
• Nice house? – check
• Cool car? – check
• Holidays abroad? – check

All well and good, no need to rock the boat and jeopardise the above – but all that will be gone one day.

What about legacy?

What is it that you’ll be known for, that will never die.

Where do you need to take risks, raise your head above the crowd, show some courage, be ready to die of shame?

Its dangerous for us not to take risks and to be safe. Its dangerous to do nothing and just watch Netflix. You know that we start to die when we become inactive – both physically and mentally.

And here’s a surprising fact I learnt the other day about what happened when the covid pandemic hit and airlines were grounded as a result of travel restrictions…

Less flights = We should expect more plane crashes!

How is that even possible?

When planes are grounded for long periods of time, they start to rust, gather dust, malfunction, wear much faster than they would if they were in the air. That’s why planes were stored in dry desert conditions during 2020 to keep them away from the elements – and even then, many have been scrapped due to being classified as unsafe as a result of low levels of usage in the years immediately after 2020.

Makes total sense doesn’t it – planes were built to live in the skies.

And every person was born to live out the dream that they have inside – to fulfil their potential – to serve their purpose.

So perhaps the saddest thing is to live a life on the ground without ever taking off. If you’re still not convinced for yourself, then how about providing opportunities for others to gain their wings and soar high above?

So, what is your dream – what is it that you really, really, really want?

What regret do you want to avoid?

I’ve worked with people to help them take action to ensure they’ll have no regrets – if you want to know more then just ask.

I’m here to help – that’s actually the dream that has got hold of me… to make a tangible difference in the lives of people that I work with.

PS – don’t forget to subscribe to my email newsletter for more ideas and insights to help you work towards being extraordinary…

post image credit: Jane Spaulding from Pixabay