Recently I happened to read a blog post from a nurse who reported the top five regrets people have on their deathbed. I found it very moving, with lessons that can help all of us become happier right now.

The author, Bonnie Ware, worked for many years in palliative care with patients who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared, she said, as she spent the last three to twelve weeks of their lives. "People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality," Bonnie says.

Bonnie learned never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. "Some changes were phenomenal," she writes. "Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected: denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them."

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five: Read More→