When an opportunity presents itself, we should always try to grab it. However, that is often easier said than done, once you are immersed in career and family.
Recently, 2000 baby boomers were surveyed about any regrets they may have at their current stage of life. The results reveal two common regrets:
– People born between 1946 and 1961 feel they missed out by working too much and not travelling enough.
Travelling is a dream for many people – the freedom to escape from routine, explore other places and immerse yourself in something completely new is incredibly stimulating. The cost of travel was cited as the major barrier and 20 percent of the group surveyed said not travelling was the biggest regret of their lives. Fortunately, it is now easier, and arguably more budget-friendly than ever before to travel.
When asked about their travel dreams, the results were conclusive – nearly 80 percent were inspired to travel, or chose their destination, to find out more about their family heritage.
Other ‘popular’ regrets were losing contact with friends and not spending enough time with family.
The advantage that baby boomers have is that age is really no barrier to travel anymore and there are so many ways to do it – in a group, with friends, partners, children or alone. Check that your ‘excuses’ for not exploring the world aren’t simply a fear of the unknown, or due to an unnecessary feeling of responsibility.
Regrets only remain that way until they are addressed. Rather than spending time feeling sad for missing out, they can easily be addressed with a change of mindset and goal setting. Do any of these regrets ring true with you? Maybe it’s time to see how you can make changes – investigate the cost or logistics of going a trip – maybe not around the whole world, but to somewhere interesting. Talk to a like-minded friend and see if they would be interested in going on an adventure with you.
Everyone deserves to live a life where they fulfil their dreams – evaluate yours today!