Advice For Living Life To The Fullest

People end up in my care either by circumstance or by a planned event. That planned event may be the result of a scary diagnosis or terminal diagnosis. When I have the opportunity to be with patients, I hear a lot of the same sentiments of regret. A few of the most common phrases I hear from patients over the course of their hospital stay are below:

1. “I Wish I Had” - I wish I had done this, said that, traveled there and so on. Wisdom comes with age. The #1 thing those giving advice say is "Live YOUR life". Don't live life for anyone else. We get caught up in trying to please others and never do the things we want to do. Stop worrying about what other think and live your life. Do what you want and chase your dreams, no matter what anyone else thinks.

2. “ I Haven’t Spoken To" - I often hear that my patient hasn't seen their brother or sister in years and they miss them. No matter what has gone on in the past, don't let things go unsaid. Keeping your right to be right, causes loneliness, sadness and certainly regret. Take the gulp and tell those that you love, that you love them. No regrets!

3. "Have Some Fun" - Don’t take life too seriously because nobody gets out alive. They really don’t! Laugh, dance, sing and be silly. If we could all go back and act freely and expressively like we did when we were 5 years old but still maintain our wisdom, we would have far less stress and anxiety. Dance like no one is watching, sing like you are a superstar and laugh out loud, its good for the soul.

4. "Be YOU" - In a society where everyday life like is glamorized and edited for social media, television and billboards, it is so important to just be YOU. There is only one you, an entirely unique combination of humour, brilliance and beauty. You may have to dig deep to really remember who you truly are, but the real you is way better than some fake you. If you aren’t sure what makes you special, ask your closest friends what attracted them to you, they'll tell you!

5. "All You Have Is Now" - We believe we'll always have tomorrow to say “I love you” or "I'm sorry" or to get that project finished or travel to that bucket list place. There have been many instance when we are reminded that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. There is a quote that says "never put off until tomorrow what you are okay with not getting done", and I couldn't agree with it more. We have one life and that life is today!

Five pieces of extremely profound advice for grabbing life by the horns and making the most out of what you've got right NOW.