30 People Get Honest About The Ways They Ruined Their 20s And It May Be Your Wakeup Call

Wellman explained to Bored Panda in an email that there are two types of regrets. There are regrets of commission, as well as regrets of omission. The former are the things that we said or did that we wish we hadn't. Meanwhile, the latter are the things we didn't take action on that we wish we had.

"Regrets of commission tend to fade over time as we learn to live with our stupidity (and rationalize our decisions), so it's really the regrets of omission we need to worry about," Wellman, the founder of 'Four Thousand Mondays,' said.

"I get excited about these 'paths not taken' because as long as we are still alive, we have a chance to course-correct these regrets-in-the-making and take the path after all. It's really never too late to go back to school, change careers, rekindle a relationship, travel to Iceland, go blonde."

Wellman told us that, in her research, she's found that the best way to "savor and appreciate" life is to practice 'memento mori'—"to remember that we must die."

"It's only when we tune into how finite we really are that we snap out of autopilot and stop taking our days for granted. I get people counting how many Mondays they have left to live (it's way less morbid than it sounds)," she told Bored Panda.

"They can use my calculator here if math feels unfun. Tune into that countdown timer, and, all of a sudden, we want to book that trip to Iceland!” she urged everyone to be more active in living life to the fullest.

The reality is that it is impossible to live ‘perfectly’ (whatever that might mean to us personally). All of us mess up. No matter who we are and how talented we might be, sooner or later we all do something we regret. In fact, you could even argue that life is all about making mistakes and then learning from them. It’s a core part of learning and growth.

However, if we obsess about our imperfections and past mistakes, this can eat away at us, affecting our health, relationships, and careers. The healthy and mature thing is to embrace what’s happened and then make better decisions in the future.  

What feels like ‘wasting’ your 20s is a very subjective thing. Some folks might regret getting married ‘too young,’ while others absolutely love having started a family. Some young professionals wish that they’d have spent more time with family instead of overtime at the office. Meanwhile, others are proud that they had the discipline to become skilled in a path that they see as their calling.

What’s a regret for one individual might be a badge of honor for someone else. But the grass is greener on the other side. We tend to envy what others have, thinking that life would be easier if we had this or that. The fact of the matter is there’s no such thing as a problem-free life. Making one decision means that you let go of others. If you could relive your 20s, you might have very different regrets after the second time around.

There’s no definitive magical formula for living a good life. However, in our experience, there are a few key things we can do. First of all, you want to make sure that you have strong relationships with the people you care about. This can be your family, friends, coworkers, or anyone else who has a positive impact on how you feel. 

Secondly, you want to ensure that you’re doing whatever you can to take care of your physical and mental health. That means staying away from harmful habits (smoking, drinking alcohol, overeating processed food, etc.) and embracing positive ones (exercise, healthy eating, socializing, engaging in pastimes you love, meditating, learning new things, etc.). 

With that foundation in mind, think about what you truly want out of life. Then, try to find the courage to take one small step toward your goals every single day. You can’t imagine how quickly you can make progress this way.

All that said, your 20s aren’t your entire life. It is perfectly possible to have an amazing life even if your youth didn’t turn out exactly as you wished it would. 

What regrets do you have about your lives, dear Pandas? What advice would you give anyone who’s just entering their 20s? Would you want to relive your youth and do things differently if you stumbled across a time machine? Let us know in the comments.