Have the Courage to Live a Life True to Yourself

A palliative care nurse named Bronnie Ware conducted a study as people were near death and asked them one question, “What is your biggest regret?” The overwhelming response by people at the end of their life said something along the lines of "I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me."

I bring this up because the concept embedded in this thought is the biggest obstacle we face today - We let life live us, we don’t live life. We choose to be responsive and reactive to the different things that are thrown at us, making the most of it, but also not being ambitious and looking to create an alternative for ourselves. We are so strongly influenced by others’ expectations that we default to meeting their standards rather than setting our own.

This influence is so subconscious, so deeply engrained in our decision making, that it becomes the greatest regret of the dying.

So what can we do to overcome this? To gain an awareness on this so that we don’t fall into the same cycle?

Be intentional. Set your own values. Make your own decisions about where you should put your time and energy. Determine what fulfillment, joy, happiness, and success mean to you and not everyone else. When you begin to think independently you attract opportunities in manifestation of those thoughts. You slowly find alignment in your life and the passionate inspiration that comes with it.