We all have them. Why be coy about it?
Let's talk about the biggest things in life we've missed out on because of time, money, or perhaps worst of all, fear.
Reddit user, u/Lirus_Black, wanted to share in the sadness when they asked:
People of reddit, what's your biggest regret?
Paying For The Sins Of A Younger You
i was introverted as a child but now as an adult its like my brain is trying to be extroverted but doesnt know how.
not the worst part: growing up, through high school/college, no parties, few friends, even fewer relationships, never went out and did anything, no stories to tell, no hobbies, notthing. the first two decades of my life were completely wasted. i still feel like a child because i never had any typical experiences growing up.
I relate so much to you, i was homeschooled most of my life so i missed out a lot on making friends and going out too. But you still have time to experience new things and make friends! Hang in there. :)
Stop Going To College Until We Figure It Out
Getting into so much debt. I went to a local college for 4 years and still managed to rack up just over 100k in student loans. It's was $75k I borrowed, but all that interest piled on. I'm 25, still 7 more years and $75k of that left.
To top it off, I got into a truck loan a year after graduating. 3 years of that left. I don't regret the purchase, but it wasn't the best timing. I should've got a nice older model for 1/3 the cost.
I still live at home because these consume a majority of my income. The student loans I'm paying 1.5x the minimum on the private loans, I still have federal mixed in. It's like 1600/month in just student loans.
I am saving on top of this what I can, it's getting really old though.
Plans Need To Change
In 2011 I decided I was moving from Austin to Los Angeles to try my hand at screenwriting. I gave myself a 3 month window to save up and sell off everything that wouldn't fit in my car and during that 3 months I met a girl. I told her about my decision to move right off the bat but she said she didn't care.
We had a great time in that 3 months, probably the best time I'd had with another person, but I stuck to my guns and moved anyways. Chase the dream and all that.
It wasn't long after I left that she hooked up with my old manager. Now they're married and have a kid.
LA didn't pan out at all.
Never Be Afraid To Say Good-Bye
My nanna passed recently, she was ill and in the hospital and the family was called in to say our goodbyes. I didn't. I was scared to say goodbye as that meant letting go or something, idiot. You don't get another chance so don't do what I did, tell your loved ones you love them because death isn't going to wait for you to be ready.
A Life Never Lived
I'm not that old (30), but I regret being so serious and working so hard sometimes. I started working 50+ hours a week the second I hit 18 to pay for college. I worked full-time in college. I graduated debt-free and went on to work 50+ hours a week at a large corporation. I think back and, although I'm proud of myself and my accomplishments, I wonder if it really would have mattered if I'd have just went to that house party, attended that pub crawl, or went on that road trip. I feel like I missed something important, I feel like I was never young.
Once my kids are older and don't need constant care, I'm taking my life back and I'm going to travel and experience some things again. I owe it to myself, its better late than never. ;)
It's Never Too Late To Own Up
Making fun of the poor kid in middle school for wearing hand me down clothes, having dirty hair and smelling bad. After everything I've been through and seen in life from then until now, I'd go back slap the f-ck out of my child self if I could for being such a d-ck....
the funny thing is I saw that kid when I got out of the military at a bar I used to frequent. He has an awesome job in the trades now and makes an great living. I apologized for the horrible things we said to him in school and he thanked me for my sincerity. We had a beer together and I still see him from time to time. Even though I made things right between us I'll still never forgive myself for being so f-cking ignorant.
Trapped On The Can
When I was about twenty-four, I heard three girls (they sounded about eighteen or nineteen) in a club bathroom conspiring to leave their 'friend' behind because they'd all hooked up with someone and it wasn't their fault they'd had to bring 'that fat lesbian' along with them (as much as I despise censoring words, I think it trips up the AutoMod otherwise; 'lesbian' wasn't the word they used), and that they didn't need to tell her they were going; in fact, it would be funnier if they didn't. They were openly laughing about the idea of leaving this girl in the middle of a heaving nightclub to fend for herself, because she didn't have any other friends.
I couldn't really do much about it -- I was mid-sh-t at the time, and I only had the sounds of their voices to go off as they'd left before I was done -- but I still looked around the club for about half an hour or so to see if I could see anyone that looked lost to make sure she got home safe. I couldn't. I still regret the fact that I couldn't find that girl and tell her that she deserved a better class of friend. I don't know if she actually was a 'fat [lesbian]' or not, but I also wished I could have told her that that was OK -- that there would always be people who'd try and sh-ttalk her for liking ladies, but they could go and f-ck themselves. From what her 'friends' said, she seemed like the kind of person who could have used a bit of support from a stranger.
The Question Stands: Is The Grass Ever Really Greener?
I wish I pursued a career I was interested in rather than chasing the paycheck.
As someone who works in a career he thought he was interested in... take that paycheck and never f-cking let it go.
A Farewell Never Had
Going on vacation and leaving my recently sober twin brother at my house alone. I knew something was wrong when he wouldn't answer the phone.
Found him face down in my living room. It's been 9 months and I still can't close my eyes without seeing my best friend alone on the ground. His phone was 2 foot away and he couldn't answer it because he was already gone.