“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”
~Mark Twain

Most adults have regrets. I know that I do. My biggest regret?

I wish I had more confidence in my teens and 20s.

As a young adult, I let low self-esteem and a fear of ridicule that sometimes bordered on paranoia stop me from making more friends, dating more, traveling, and taking other risks that ultimately make life more fun.

Like so many people, I was stuck in IfOnlyLand. If only I were prettier … If only I had more money … If only I met the right guy …

Lack of confidence kept me from accepting myself as I was and living in the moment. Can you relate?

What is your biggest regret or one thing you’d like to change from your past? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Marc Chernoff recently posted 40 Regrets You Don’t Want to Have in 40 Years on the positive living blog Marc and Angel Hack Life.

Here are five of the 40 regrets that many people can relate to. Think of them as tips for living your life better.

• Constantly comparing yourself to everyone else. – Don’t compare your progress in life with that of others. We all need our own time to travel our own distance. It’s perfectly OK to be different. Today, the only person you should try to be better than, is the person you were yesterday. Prove yourself to yourself, not others.

• Collecting more excuses than you can count. – If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.

• Waiting, and waiting, and waiting until you’re ready. – Sometimes life seems hard, but we often make it harder than it is. All you ever have to decide is what to do next. It really is this simple. You don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward. Just do the best you can until you know better. Once you know better, do better.

• Not helping others when you were able. – If you have a lot, give your wealth. If you have a little, give your heart. Just give what you can. No one has ever become poor by giving.

• Not appreciating what you have when you have it. – We often forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but of deeply appreciating what we do have. No, you won’t always get exactly what you want. But remember this: There are lots of people who will never have what you have right now.

Read all 40 regrets here.

How do you live life with no regrets?
Mark Twain gives good advice in the rest of his quote: