regrets

[ajones]

Ok, so I am FCUkin leathered mission acclumptiotioust. However I am now 30 as of Wednesday and a few of the targets I have set for myself are now looking unlikley, ie retierment ect. A fewof my peers like my best man are a head of me interms of earining potiential due to the fact all I wanted to do at school/uni is play rugby.

Now I know I am fortunate that I have a gorgeous wife and despite my academic background I am not exectly doing badly for myself.

I guess what i am getting at is yes I am feeling sorry for myself as I am middle aged, I havent got my birthday shag yet!!!! And I have regrets that I wish I had delt with primarily at school.

Does anyone else think they could be better off if they just listen to their parents and worked that little bit harder at school

[annatrnr]

I did work hard at school and got good grades but still work in a shop full time and part time in a pub waitressing, I am 32 unmarried and with no kids so not really done what I had expected by this stage in life. BUT I am happy! I have great friends and a wonderful man who loves me. You have to make the best of the hand your dealt, regrets only make you feel sad don't bother with them move on and look forward to hopefully waking up tomorrow.

[NeilB]

Regrets? I've had a few. But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do, and saw it through without exception.

Frank knew a thing or two.....

I left school at 18 without A Levels (failed them!). Did 6 months at Tech College then joined IBM as a typewriter engineer. 25 years later I still work for IBM but live in the sun and do very little actual 'work.'

It may not be the life I planned for myself when I was 16 but it is bloody good and I can't say I would have changed much.

When the fickle finger of fate points your way it is pointless trying to avoid it - go with the flow and enjoy the ride.

[yazzyfooty]

You cant change the past so no point in living a life with regret.

BUT if you could go back and change things would you?

[Buoyant Babe]

Originally Posted by yazzyfooty

You cant change the past so no point in living a life with regret.

Very true...but you can change your future. Stop whingeing and bemoaning what you haven't yet achieved, work out what you DO want out of life and decide how you are going to get there. Thirty is plenty time to change things.

[liamm]

i wouldnt worry about the academic thing ..... i've a degree , a masters, a diploma in management and what with being a teacher am loaded ..... well not really.
I've much richer mates and much poorer mates and i dont mind admitting that i'm probably the most content of the lot. More cash would be good but id just spend it on a breather, a stupid car and beer. So my diving would be more complicxated (not a dig), id look like a dick in my bespoilered car and id be more drunk more often.

At the end of the day at thirty you're only thirty and could, if you wanted to, start again doing something riskier that paid more money.......... or just put a bit of barry white on the steroe and get on with the birthday shagging.

I freaked out on my thirtyeth birthday - but got over it by starting diving again. i'm nearly 33 now and wondering what degree of hairline regression requires me to shave it all off?

[Buoyant Babe]

Originally Posted by liamm

i wouldnt worry about the academic thing ..... i've a degree , a masters, a diploma in management and what with being a teacher am loaded ..... well not really.
I've much richer mates and much poorer mates and i dont mind admitting that i'm probably the most content of the lot. More cash would be good but id just spend it on a breather, a stupid car and beer. So my diving would be more complicxated (not a dig), id look like a dick in my bespoilered car and id be more drunk more often.

At the end of the day at thirty you're only thirty and could, if you wanted to, start again doing something riskier that paid more money.......... or just put a bit of barry white on the steroe and get on with the birthday shagging.

I freaked out on my thirtyeth birthday - but got over it by starting diving again. i'm nearly 33 now and wondering what degree of hairline regression requires me to shave it all off?

I'm liking your thinking. My twenties were pretty depressing - skint and unfulfilled. I didn't do a degree when I 'should' have after leaving school and I hit a glass ceiling as far as any career progression was concerned.

Just before my 29th Birthday I decided the only person who could change my life was me, so I went back to college part time.

Guess what? My thirties were much better. I got my qualifications which, together with a greater level of maturity and experience, got me better paid and more fulfilling jobs. I lost weight, I took up diving and found something I really liked doing. My self confidence as a whole increased.

Now I'm 40 and bring it on! I don't sweat about being as good as anyone else, I'm as good as I want myself to be. I've also stopped worrying about living up to other peoples' expectations. If others want to set high expectations that I don't meet, then that's their problem, not mine. As long as I feel I'm doing the best I can for people, why should I worry?

I like being me now. Life is good!

[Simon TW]

You think you're middle aged? get a grip man! I'm 47 and I'm only approaching it. If your 30 now and you left school at 16 you've only been working 14 years. 14 years isn't much in a working life of 49 years is it?

Be thankful for what you've got, a "beautiful wife". I've had a couple of them in the past and when they go the cash goes with them.

"Birthday shag" youth talking that is, when you get to middle age (so I'm told) you only get it at Christmas.

[Ian@1904]

No point doing that. Life is about making what you can of the opportunities available, and making the opportunities if you can't see any. e.g.I was planning a degree in chem engineering, ended up in different city (Sheffield) on a very different eng course. However.......the course turned out to be spot on for me, and I met the great love of my live.

I also discovered that I am not terribly good at being a good corporate citizen. However I did discover that I like accounting in risky environments, hence my interim workstyle.

Having worked very hard for the last twenty odd years, I am now very solvent. Equally I have friends who have had a great life to date, but are now seeing that my mortgage is well under control, the pension plan is doing OK, and I am planning some great trips away. So I am hoping that the next twenty years will be doing what my friends did over the previous twenty

If you are not getting the sh@g, you might want to ask what could be done to improve your attractiveness on a long term basis you doing more housework, you making tea/coffee your better half, improving your hygiene habits. BTW it could be any, none, or all of these. Having given my beloved her Mothers Day treat, which included tea........before and afterwards I can say that there is still time for a fab lovelife.

I partially did what my parents wanted, becoming a beancounter, although not in the way they might have intended.

40 seems a little while back. But to add to Helen's statement, roll on 50!

[IanT]

The most important thing in life must be your health, without that you don't have much do you

So no regrets stop wingging put a smile on your face and get on with it, and be happy.

If my words of wisdom don't work then get a job in a hospital or work with the less fortunate, this will maybe let you see just how well off you really are

Look forwards Not back

Kind Regards

Ian