Embracing Ambition: Lessons from the Regrets of the Elderly

 

When a company interviewed Japanese people in their 80s about their life regrets, the most common response was, “I should have studied more.” The primary reason is that with more education, they would have been able to expand their possibilities and lead a far better life. The second most common answer was, “I should have just tried what I wanted to do.” Many people struggle to take the first step toward their ambitions due to a fear of failure and end up procrastinating, which they later regret. From these top two responses, it’s clear that if we have healthy dreams and goals, including studying, it’s better to try while we can. Even if we fail, we will regret not trying more than the failure itself. Therefore, the magnitude of the risk differs depending on our age, but if we follow our inner voice and keep trying to do what we want, even if it involves some risks, we can live a life with fewer regrets.

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