Nobody has a perfect life. We all have regrets and things we believe we should have done differently. Sometimes, all it takes is hearing someone else talk about their mistakes and regrets to wake us up and cherish things around us. As 2016 comes to an end, reading these real regrets shared by real people can perhaps make us learn from their mistakes and make us all the more hell-bent in beginning the new year with the intention of not taking our life and all the people in it for granted:

1. This one who regrets not seeing their dying mother right before she passed

“My mother passed away when I was 8. Cancer. It came to the point where death was inevitable. My dad asked if I wanted to see her and I said no.”

Don’t be afraid how you’ll feel when you see the person who brought you into this world on their death bed. You will regret not doing it.

2. And this person who was just awkward and always worried about “log kia kaheinge”

“I was painfully shy and awkward around strangers and the opposite sex when I was in elementary school and high school. I really presumed that I had so few friends because I wasn’t the kind of person other people liked. I also presumed my social awkwardness was inherent and something I was completely unable to overcome.

I only found out that both of those are untrue when I was, like, 30. I kind of wish I had my teen years back so I could force myself out of that awkward shell and enjoy my youth a bit more.”

3. This person teaches you not to stay out of touch with those that matter to you

“I missed my last opportunity to see my father alive and awake.”

4. This one regrets all the time they wasted before they FINALLY pursued their passion

“I quit my well-paid job at 23 to go back to uni to do music. Yeah I wished I’d done it at 18 but fuck it, better late than never! I couldn’t be happier, I’m a few years older than the others in my class but they mostly respect me for it. Honestly, whatever it is…go and DO IT NOW!!! Or you’ll be on here in a years’ time saying the same thing. Do it now and get a years’ head start on whatever your dream is!!”

5. This guy regrets not realizing what was really important at that time

“Hanging out with a friend instead of visiting my father in the hospital. He died that night and I never got to say goodbye.”

6. Sometimes in anger you do things that you regret for the rest of your life

“I yelled at my grandma for complaining about something – I don’t remember what it was, something stupid – because I was tired and it was cold and after midnight on a day I had to wake up early to go teach kindergarten and she was sick…. I woke up 2 hours early to my mother crying so hard I could hear her across the house. My grandmother died about 2 hours after I yelled at her. I still haven’t forgiven myself for it and I’m not sure I ever will.”

7. They say never to wait too long for an opportunity but sometimes saying yes can lead to regrets later

“I’m 31 My biggest regret saying yes to a marriage proposal when I was 23 that caused me to waste a good part of my 20s engaged to someone who I knew wasn’t a good match in the first place. I did this heavily because of family and outside pressure.”

8. This guy regrets not spending enough time to think… about a plan

“I’m 28. I wish I had developed a more concrete plan for my career earlier. I sort of had this strange assumption that if you get a degree from a respectable college it would make numerous avenues of employment available to me. I’m trying to break into a field that has nothing to do with my degree and I have no relevant internships either. It’s a serious barrier to overcome despite some reasonably impressive credentials I have obtained outside of college.”

9. You also regret when you treat those closer to you like a piece of rag

“I’ve got plenty of regrets but I’ll share my most recent one: Not treating my girlfriend better. I see now that I didn’t appreciate her enough, I really didn’t trust her enough. There are so many times where I wish I could take back something, kept my trap shut etc etc. I’m torturing myself. I go over and over in my head what I wish happened instead. I loved her with all my heart and I still do but she’s left me. Im a wreck right now, I’m extremely unhappy and wish so many things in my life were different. I don’t know what to do. Or rather, where to start.”

10. Sometimes, you just regret not living in the moment… so always remember to do that

“An ex of mine. Its a long story, but she still haunts my dreams. While we don’t talk anymore, we did clear the water a couple of years ago and I got closure, mostly. So I’m not going crazy over her, but a part of me will always miss her. She’s a hole in my heart that I carry proudly, as weird as that sounds.
I’d like to add, as I totally missed the point of the question, was that I regret the way the relationship went, and not her. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me, and I’ll never forget her.”

Do you regret anything from this past year?

Note: These responses have been adapted from a thread on Reddit.com

Cover image via: Galaxy Lollywood