Avoiding Death Bed Regrets

In a couple of weeks, I have been asked to deliver a TED Talk like presentation to the Garrett Planning Network, a subperb group of top notch professional financial planners from around the country and a few from other parts of the world.  Of course, my presentation is geared more for an audience of advisors, and I won't bore you with industry speak, but in preparing for my presentation, I naturally turned to the Ted Talk site to see what others were doing. 

Because I am a gamer myself, I watched Jane McGonigal, a TED talk veteran, give a talk on The game that can add 10 years to your life.  It is a great talk, and I have included it below for your viewing pleasure. 

In the talk, she points to some research from hospice workers that determined the top regrets people have on their death bed, and then points to how games can help boost resilience, experiece growth and even increase life expectancy.  Here are the top five regrets of the dying per research from hospice workers reports :

1. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.
2. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
3. I wish I had let myself be happier.
4. I wish I had the courage to express my true self. 
5. I wish I'd lived a life true to my dreams instead of what others expected of me. 

I found those regrets to be incredibly informative.  Financial planning and wealth management should not about rates of returns or sifting through products. It is about knowing what you want and determining how you can realistically get there.  It is about achieving the financial means to allow your goals to become reality.  It is about reaching the end and not having regrets.  

How about you?  What are you doing now that brings you confidence that you life won't end in regret? Feel free to leave a comment on what regrets you are determined to avoid!