Nurse reveals the top 5 regrets people make on their deathbed

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ITJunkie

Platinum Member
Apr 17, 2003
2,512
0
76
www.techange.com
This:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather one should aim to skid in sideways, your body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO! Man, what a ride!"
 

ImpulsE69

Lifer
Jan 8, 2010
14,946
1,077
126
I have a few regrets in life so far and hopefully I will address them before I die. However, I learned early on about this one:



I laugh when people brag about working 60+ hours per week for years on end. Unless you own your own company or are a doctor, you're getting screwed and it is time to wake up. A "career" is just a job and not worth sacrificing your life over.

Agreed, but man it is difficult these days since employers know they have one over on you. If all your coworkers are putting in that kind of time, it looks pretty bad to be the person NOT doing that.
 

Mai72

Lifer
Sep 12, 2012
11,562
1,742
126
I should have spent more time nefffing on ATOT?

zonamsn01.gif
 

IndyColtsFan

Lifer
Sep 22, 2007
33,655
688
126
Agreed, but man it is difficult these days since employers know they have one over on you. If all your coworkers are putting in that kind of time, it looks pretty bad to be the person NOT doing that.

It does, but that's when it is time to look for another job. You're working in a sweatshop. Companies don't own you or your life and the whole notion of a "career," outside of a couple of professions, is nothing more than an illusion to rope people into working significant time for free while they keep dangling that carrot in front of you.

I get the whole "career" speech from recruiters too. They don't understand -- I'm in it for the money and myself. I couldn't possibly care less about slaving my life away in the hope that I'll be the one promoted when one of the very few promotion opportunities arises. That was me several years ago but now, I've decided I'll just go to the highest bidder. If they can't keep the raises coming and I dip under market value, I move on. My last employer played games with me both with money and promotions, so I finally sat the CIO down and told him that he screwed me over and that it was time to address my salary demands if nothing else and I'd follow up in a week. He could not get the money -- instead, I got the "if you do well on project x, y, and z, we'll give you a big raise next year!" speech. I thanked him for his "effort" and resigned since I already had 3 job offers in hand.

I don't care about building shareholder wealth or any of that nonsense either. I don't care about partaking in stupid corporate BS team-building and "personal growth" exercises because most of it is worthless. The only thing I care about is to make enough to support myself and my family and have a few luxuries while working the minimum amount possible. Ruthless? Probably, but I've learned it from the behavior of our corporate overlords through the years.

EDIT: Just remember, we're ALL CEOs -- the CEOs of our own lives and homes. Everything in life needs to be looked at as a business decision. A company would not hesitate to cut you loose to save a few bucks, so if your employer isn't meeting your needs, you need to cut them loose too.
 
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Meghan54

Lifer
Oct 18, 2009
11,684
5,228
136
Of course it is fake, just more internet garbage.

-KeithP


Well, I certainly cannot speak for all nurses, but after spending over 20 years in the profession as an RN working ER, Cardiovascular/open heart surg. ICU/recovery, burn units, neuro ICU, med/surg ICU's, and having dealt with death more than I care to recollect, I really don't remember a single patient that died that recounted regrets prior to his/her passing. And honestly, we were just too damned busy to waste time polling patients about that.


On the other hand, what was reported in the OP I could easily see being generated by nursing students during clinicals while developing their nursing care plans....psychosocial needs assessments and all.
 

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
9,453
8,863
136
I was never that immersed in my work. I did what was necessary to secure a good decent paying job, and excel at it. When the opportunity to skate arose, I took it, when travel was involved, it was when and where I wanted to go.

I retired at 55 and NEVER looked back, work is only an end to pay for what you really want to do. I did work my butt off for about a 10 year period to accomplish this (certifications and promotions) then took advantage of the position I had achieved.
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,757
6,635
126
Agreed, but man it is difficult these days since employers know they have one over on you. If all your coworkers are putting in that kind of time, it looks pretty bad to be the person NOT doing that.

it doesn't look bad at all if you are getting the job done. and if all of your coworkers are working like that and they expect you to do it, time to look for another job! no way in hell i would ever work more than 40 hours a week, especially if i wasn't getting paid for it. the only way is if i was running my own business.
 

akahoovy

Golden Member
May 1, 2011
1,336
1
0
I laugh when people brag about working 60+ hours per week for years on end. Unless you own your own company or are a doctor, you're getting screwed and it is time to wake up. A "career" is just a job and not worth sacrificing your life over.

This is one thing I'm happy I've figured out about myself. I've found a job that will let me work 3 or 4 days a week and make full-time. They'll be long days, but it's still only a day devoted to work, where as I could have 2 more days a week off. That's awesome to me.
 

Exterous

Super Moderator
Jun 20, 2006
20,612
3,834
126
This is one thing I'm happy I've figured out about myself. I've found a job that will let me work 3 or 4 days a week and make full-time. They'll be long days, but it's still only a day devoted to work, where as I could have 2 more days a week off. That's awesome to me.

I miss my (4) 10 hours days :(
 

IndyColtsFan

Lifer
Sep 22, 2007
33,655
688
126
This is one thing I'm happy I've figured out about myself. I've found a job that will let me work 3 or 4 days a week and make full-time. They'll be long days, but it's still only a day devoted to work, where as I could have 2 more days a week off. That's awesome to me.

I've been thinking about approaching my manager with a proposal for me to work four 10 hour days per week. I think that would rock.
 

Imp

Lifer
Feb 8, 2000
18,828
184
106
This is one thing I'm happy I've figured out about myself. I've found a job that will let me work 3 or 4 days a week and make full-time. They'll be long days, but it's still only a day devoted to work, where as I could have 2 more days a week off. That's awesome to me.

My work is in the process of taking that away. For us, it was work 9 days, get day 10 off. Some bullshit about having proper coverage because the system worked so poorly for the last few decades...
 

rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,844
1,049
126
Every time I get really sick I realize how important health is and to never neglect it. Then I get better and put it in the back of my mind. I don't really have any of those 5 regrets. If anything, I feel I should work harder to get farther while I'm still employable.
 

mikeford

Diamond Member
Jan 27, 2001
5,671
160
106
Everything on that list I can't say I regret if I were to die tomorrow except number 5. The one thing I have to regret if I die tomorrow is that I never went to college. I only have trade school under my belt. Welding to be exact. But I don't want to weld all my life. I want to take flying lessons and fly for FedEx.

Lots of careers have an arc to them.

Go get some cheap seat time, either you will be hooked and motivated, or released.
 

HopJokey

Platinum Member
May 6, 2005
2,110
0
0
It does, but that's when it is time to look for another job. You're working in a sweatshop. Companies don't own you or your life and the whole notion of a "career," outside of a couple of professions, is nothing more than an illusion to rope people into working significant time for free while they keep dangling that carrot in front of you.

I get the whole "career" speech from recruiters too. They don't understand -- I'm in it for the money and myself. I couldn't possibly care less about slaving my life away in the hope that I'll be the one promoted when one of the very few promotion opportunities arises. That was me several years ago but now, I've decided I'll just go to the highest bidder. If they can't keep the raises coming and I dip under market value, I move on. My last employer played games with me both with money and promotions, so I finally sat the CIO down and told him that he screwed me over and that it was time to address my salary demands if nothing else and I'd follow up in a week. He could not get the money -- instead, I got the "if you do well on project x, y, and z, we'll give you a big raise next year!" speech. I thanked him for his "effort" and resigned since I already had 3 job offers in hand.

I don't care about building shareholder wealth or any of that nonsense either. I don't care about partaking in stupid corporate BS team-building and "personal growth" exercises because most of it is worthless. The only thing I care about is to make enough to support myself and my family and have a few luxuries while working the minimum amount possible. Ruthless? Probably, but I've learned it from the behavior of our corporate overlords through the years.

EDIT: Just remember, we're ALL CEOs -- the CEOs of our own lives and homes. Everything in life needs to be looked at as a business decision. A company would not hesitate to cut you loose to save a few bucks, so if your employer isn't meeting your needs, you need to cut them loose too.

Great advice, especially the part about being CEOs of ourselves.