Grab Hold of Your Life and Start Living!

Would, coulda, shoulda. Everyone has regrets. Regret is universal, spanning age, culture and socio-economic status. Our most common life regrets center on family, romance, career, education and self. For every choice we make, there are countless other possibilities we will never experience. We are forever tantalized by "the road not taken."

I have just read a fascinating article about regret in the current issue of The AARP Magazine. Written by David Dudley, editor of Baltimore's The Urbanite, the article suggests that America has entered an Age of Regret. (Click here to read the article.) Raised on the unobtainable idealism of the 1960s, Baby Boomers are having a harder time coping with life's regrets than previous generations. The explosion of options available for everything from choosing a cell phone to selecting a prescription drug plan is paralyzing our ability to feel satisfied with our choices. I found it interesting that fewer choices diminish regret and that the inability to undo a choice actually makes us more satisfied with our decision.

The number one regret most people have involves family: My spouse and I don't have enough time just to ourselves. I never have enough time for the kids. I'm missing out on my son/daughter's childhood. Family life is a perpetual blur of carpools, homework, activities and projects -- when do we relax and just have fun?

It seems to me that regret is about unfulfilled dreams. The most productive way to put our regrets behind us is to do something about them. Start fulfilling your dreams today. If you aren't spending enough quality time with your spouse or family, make an investment in your family's future. Buy a timeshare property and lock in a couple of weeks a year when you can focus on just being together and having fun. Stop thinking about all the vacations you haven't taken, all the things you haven't done together and put your regrets behind you. Invest in your family's future, invest in a timeshare, and start building some memories today.