In 2019, Bronnie Ware released a fascinating book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. After years of doing unfulfilling work, she began to search for a job that gave her meaning. After working with a number of people who were dying, she summarized her reflections into a popular blog post, which was then turned into the book.

One of the regrets she talks about is this: “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” In fact, one of the themes that keeps coming up over and over again in the book is the regret of not doing the things you knew were most important.

Truthfully, we all have regrets. We all do stupid things and waste vast amounts of time we wish we had back. It’s important to be aware of this, and yet we also need to forgive ourselves so we can move on. Regret is a powerful obstacle that can prevent us from doing our best work.

Ann Patchett said, “The ability to forgive oneself… is the key to making art, and very possibly the key to finding any semblance of happiness in life.” Have you forgiven yourself for your past mistakes so you can seek a life of freedom and meaning?

You can’t go back and change the past. But you can live with more intentionality and purpose from this day forward.