Getting older is supposed to bring wisdom – and it does, but that wisdom also means regretting some of the less wise things we’ve done.
Here are 17 things you’ll really regret when you’re older.
1. Letting the sun set on arguments
It’s a cliché we know, but looking back some of the biggest, relationship-shattering rows we’ve ever had weren’t really that big a deal at all.
2. Having kids too early / having kids too late / having kids / not having kids
No matter which decision you did or didn’t make, you’ll be made to feel that it was wrong.
3. Tattoos
Got ‘em? You’ll regret it. Didn’t get any? You’ll regret that too.
4. Accepting all those Facebook friend requests
Who are these people, and why are so many of them racist?
5. Shyness
Over to you, Morrissey: ‘Shyness is nice, but shyness can stop you, from doing all the things in life you’d like to.’
6. Not saving
Money in the bank ten years ago earned stacks of interest. Now, you might as well hide it under the mattress for all the good putting it in the bank does. But that’s still better than buying an iPhone 6S that you really don’t need.
7. Not owning property
Britain’s insane housing market shows no sign of getting any more sensible, and that means house prices are becoming harder and harder for most people to afford.
8. Being a teenager
With the possible exceptions of Charlotte Church and Gandhi, everybody on Earth was an awful human being during their teenage years.
9. Spending time with the wrong people
Some people are emotional vampires, sucking the life and hope and joy from all around them. Others are cruel, or selfish, or both. Your life is better without them.
10. Not being outrageous enough
There’s a narrow window when youth excuses all kinds of sartorial madness. Take advantage of it while you can.
11. Smoking
Like many people, we started smoking to show how cool we were. Turns out that what we thought was cool was just really, really stupid.
12. Not trying with friends
Friendships can ebb and flow, especially when you start getting more responsibilities. It’s all too easy to let friendships wither and die, even the really good ones.
13. Sunbathing
We all do it, even though we all know we shouldn’t.
14. Not flossing
Not because of the health benefits, but because of the grief you get from the dental technician for not doing it.
15. Not asking for help
If you’re feeling sad or things are just hard, there’s no shame in asking for help. It could literally save your life.
16. Caring about the wrong things
As the late David Foster Wallace put it: “If you worship money and things — if they are where you tap real meaning in life — then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly, and when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally plant you… Worship power — you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to keep the fear at bay. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart — you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. And so on.”
17. Not being true to yourself
Of all the things people regret most on their deathbeds, this is number one: living a lie, scared of what other people might think. Be yourself, unless you’re Katie Hopkins. In which case, be someone else.
