Sometimes clients send my articles they think I might be of interested to me. This one from the UK Guardian was excellent and thought you might enjoy it as well. If you want to share it with others or on Facebook you can use the links at the top of this page.

 

Feel free to send me these sorts of things at any time or you can post them yourself on my facebook wall. 

 

Also I have included a recently received testimonial below. 

 

Top Five Regrets of the Dying

 

A nurse has recorded the most common regrets of the dying, and among the top ones is 'I wish I hadn't worked so hard'.

 

There was no mention of more sex or bungee jumps. A palliative nurse who has counselled the dying in their last days has revealed the most common regrets we have at the end of our lives. And among the top, from men in particular, is 'I wish I hadn't worked so hard'.

 

Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai, which gathered so much attention that she put her observations into a book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.

 

Ware writes of the phenomenal clarity of vision that people gain at the end of their lives, and how we might learn from their wisdom. "When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently," she says, "common themes surfaced again and again."

Here are the top five regrets of the dying, as witnessed by Ware:

 

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

"This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it."

 

2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.

"This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence."

 

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

"Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result."

 

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

"Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying."

 

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

"This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again." 

 
Any questions. comments or insights please place them on my facebook wall.

 

Anthony Venn-Brown 

Coach - Author - Speaker

+61 (0)416 015 231

  

      

 

Before I took on life coaching I felt I needed some change in my life in a few different areas but didn't quite know how to go about it or where to even start, I just knew my life needed an overhaul.   

I decided life coaching would be good for me for many reasons but the main ones, were the fact that I would be a bit more support in making these changes I needed to make. Also there would be someone that would not be connected to me emotionally and able to give me more insight into my life and areas that may need adjustment. My expectations were pretty low as I had never done life coaching before but when I completed the Dare to be your Best program it had far outweighed my original expectations.

 

Many changes happened for me while I did life coaching. For a start, I became much more empowered, my self confidence grew and I became aware of things I had been doing in my life that were not necessarily very healthy for me or my family. I had so much personal growth within three months and made a total of 78 changes to my life so my life wheel is now in greater balance and turns a little smoother than it did before. I never really believed in my skills or abilities before and life coaching helped me. My favourite exercises were the beliefs and values section as well as how to work out smart goals.

 

I feel a lot more in control of my life, I learnt a little bit about networking, I learnt more about what my priorities are, but best of all I really learnt a lot about accountability not just for myself but others. I also learnt that I really was not responsible for others issues and for taking it on myself to "fix" it. The workbook is also a workbook for life and when the coaching is finished there are tools you can use to keep yourself on track.

 

Overall it was the best thing I could of done for me and my own personal development, I would definitely do it again. I highly recommend life coaching with Anthony if you are considering it.

 

Lee