Laugh Now (Or You May Regret It Later!)
Je ne regrette rien the French songstress, Edith Piaf, famously crooned. Problem is, most people do not regret nothing, they regret a lot.
And our regrets often become most vivid and painful at the end of our lives. In her book The Top Five Regrets of the Dying – A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing palliative care nurse Bonnie Ware gives us her perspective on what those about to depart planet Earth tend to wish they had done differently.
In Ware’s experience the top five regrets of people facing death are:
1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I didn't work so hard.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
When I read this list it strikes me that one of the main reasons I created my company Feel Betterer is to help people avoid having these regrets. “Laugh and Live!” is our motto and learning to bring more laughter into our lives helps us avoid the top 5 regrets because…
1. Laughter is about being your true self and expressing who you are to others.
2. Laughter turns work into play and passionate creativity.
3. We reap the benefits of laughter by having the courage to share it with others.
4. The very essence of friendship is laughter.
5. Laughter is the gateway to happiness.
In her book Ware highlights the profound regret of those who have failed to live a laugh-filled life. She describes those who face dying and have much regret; “deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.”
I have seen this syndrome with my own eyes when I worked as a humour therapist in aged care facilities. A lifetime of laughter or a lifetime of laugh-deprivation could be read on the faces of these folks in the autumn of their lives.
Some faces were filled with joy and playfulness while others were closed down or even grim. It was a joy to see some of these shut-down types start to relax as they responded to my silliness and gave themselves permission to laugh. It was like watching wilted flowers begin to bloom again.
So what about you and I? Whatever age we may be we can’t be sure how much life we have left. Most of us certainly hope to live into our twilight years.
So what sort of person will we be then? Will we look back with happiness at a life where we expressed who we truly are through laughter, play, positive energy and connection? Or will we regret never having fully enjoyed the benefits and blessings that laughter offers us?
The time to decide what our answers will be is right now!
Betterer Wishes, Anthony
Anthony Ackroyd, CEO (Chief Enjoyment Officer) Feel Betterer
P.S. You can learn powerful strategies that will bring more laughter, humour, fun, play and positive energy into your life. Feel Betterer Coaching is your fast track to feeling fantastic and doing fantastic things. Learn more here!
©Anthony Ackroyd 2023
