Bronnie Ware is an Australian author, songwriter and an international speaker. Prior to that, she worked many years as a palliative care specialist dealing with patients who had gone home to die. She was with them during the last three to twelve weeks of their lives. When she questioned them about any regrets they had or anything they wished they had done differently, here are the five most common things she found:

• I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
• I wish I didn’t work so hard.
• I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
• I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
• I wish that I had let myself be happier.

She ended her article with the following: “When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying. Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.” If you would like to read this wonderful article in its entirety, here’s the link to click on.