Life lessons for personal and professional growth

Recently, María Branyas Morera, one of the oldest people ever, died at the age of 117. Her long-term health offers us valuable life lessons about well-being and maintaining a positive attitude. In this article, we share her insights and teach you more about the importance of conscious life choices for both personal and professional growth.

Life lessons from María Branyas Morera

Born in 1907, María Branyas Morera has led a remarkable life through two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, and several pandemics. She even survived COVID-19 at the age of 113.

She attributed her exceptionally long life to several factors. Order, peace, close family ties, contact with nature and emotional stability were the keys, according to her. She also stressed the importance of having a positive attitude, avoiding worries and staying away from negative people. In addition, she believed that luck and good genetics also played a role in her advanced age. In interviews, she said avoiding regrets was also an important part of finding fulfillment in life until the end.

The Top 5 deathbed regrets

Bronnie Ware, a palliative care nurse, shared the following common regrets she observed among her patients:

• I wish I had had the courage to live a life true to myself, not to the expectations of others:

  Many people do not realize until too late that they have set aside their own dreams and desires to meet the expectations of others. This can lead to feelings of unfulfillment and missed opportunities.

• I wish I hadn’t worked so hard:

  Although hard work is often seen as a virtue, it often comes out on the deathbed that people have spent too much time on their work and too little on their personal lives and loved ones. This can lead to regrets about missed moments with family and friends.

• I wish I had had the courage to express my feelings:

  Many people keep their true feelings to themselves for fear of rejection or conflict. On their deathbed, they realize that expressing their emotions and sharing their inner world would have helped them live more honestly and authentically.

• I wish I had kept in touch with my friends:

  Maintaining friendships can be difficult in the hustle and bustle of daily life, but on the deathbed, the value of these relationships emerges. People often feel regret that they did not try more actively to maintain their friendships.

• I wish I had allowed myself to be happier:

  Many people realize too late that happiness is a choice and that they have allowed themselves to be limited too much by fear, insecurity or ingrained habits. They regret not enjoying the little things in life and not trying harder to find their happiness.

Application of these life lessons in coaching and leadership

Take time for what is really important before it is too late. Ask yourself what you would do differently if you knew you only had a short time to live. Consider your own choices and reflect on your life regularly to make sure you are living in a way you won’t regret later. And when that little voice in your head tells you all sorts of things you shouldn’t do and allows all sorts of blockages to prevail, listen to it for a moment and then say “Thanks for sharing, bye!!!

Do what you love to do and take your health seriously

A scientific survey of the elderly shows that they mostly regret the things they did not do in and mostly not what they did. In addition, many elderly people regret that they did not pay enough attention to their health in their younger years. This insight usually comes from confronting health problems later in life due to an unhealthy lifestyle at a younger age.

Not change, but inspire

We realize that the above lessons are easier said in hindsight than done before. That said, we can learn lessons for ourselves from the above lessons of dying people. Life is finite. Live your own life and make sure you become the best version of yourself without imposing anything on others. The reverse is also true, don’t compare yourself to others. Compare yourself only to yourself.

The art of life is not to change others, but inspire them by leading by example yourself. Stay true to your own path and let others find their own way, without forcing them to make the same choices (Holding Space). Ultimately, it is about living your own life, in line with your own values and goals, and getting the best out of yourself.

To conclude with the words of Oscar Wilde:

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

Our Leadership from the Heart training and our Co-Creation coaching course, especially Module 3; “Fulfillment,” are designed to integrate these life lessons into both personal development and professional growth. Reflect regularly on your life, make conscious choices and avoid regrets. This emphasizes the need for ongoing self-development and the pursuit of goals that resonate with your own values.