5 decisions that can make one Regret forever

Our days are filled with a constant stream of decisions. Most are mundane, but some are so important that they can haunt you for the rest of your life. Some decisions are minor, such as what to eat, which route to drive to work, or in what order to tackle tasks; others are more difficult, such as choosing between two job offers or whether to cut a toxic person out of your life. Regardless of the magnitude of the decision, our brains make it hard for us to keep the perspective we need to make good choices.

See five choices you can make in life that can cause you regret for a very long time;

1. Making decisions based on what other people think. When you make your decisions based on other people’s opinions, two things tend to happen; You make a poor career choice: There are too many people out there who studied for a degree they regret or even spent their lives pursuing a career they regret. Whether you are seeking approval from your parents or pursuing pay and prestige over passion, making a poor career choice is a decision that will live with you forever. Also, you fail to uphold your morals: When you get too caught up in what your boss thinks of you or how bad you will look if you fail, you are at high risk of violating your own morals. Your intense desire to make yourself look good compromises your ability to stay true to yourself and, ultimately, to feel good. The best way to avoid falling prey to the opinions of others is to realize that other people’s opinions would always remain opinions. Regardless of how great or terrible they think you are, that’s only their opinion. Your true self-worth comes from within.

2. Working so hard. Working hard is a great way to impact the world, to learn, to grow, to feel accomplished, and sometimes even to find happiness, but it becomes a problem when you do so at the expense of the people closest to you. Most times, we often work hard to make money for the people we care about without realizing that they value our company more than money. The key is to find a balance between doing what you love and being with the people you love. So instead of hardwork in this case, I would say work smart.

3. Not expressing your feelings. Bottling up your feelings causes them to grow until they erupt. The best thing you can do is to put your feelings directly on the table. Though it’s painful to initiate, it forces you to be honest and transparent. On the other hand, if you do nothing and let your feelings fester, this will hinder your performance and prevent you from reaching your goal.

4. Not staying in touch with true friends. When you get caught up in your weekly routine, it’s easy to lose sight of how important people are to you, especially those you have to make time for. Relationships with old friends are among the first things to fall off the table when we’re busy. This is unfortunate because spending time with friends is a major stress buster. Close friends bring you energy, fresh perspectives, and a sense of belonging, in a way that no one else can.

5. Letting yourself be unhappy. When your life is about to end, all the difficulties you have faced suddenly become trivial compared to the good times. Although we all inevitably experience pain, how we react to our pain is completely under our control, as is our ability to experience joy. Learning to laugh, smile, and be happy is a challenge at times, but it’s one that’s worth every ounce of effort.