As a hospice nurse, Julie McFadden spends her days caring for people near the ends of their lives. The job gives her a window into the regrets people most commonly express on their deathbeds, which she says offers insight into how people can live better, more fulfilling lives. McFadden says she hears these regrets most often from her hospice patients:
- They wish they’d appreciated their health when they had it. “They didn’t understand how lucky they were to have a healthy body,” McFadden says. “That’s the No. 1 thing I hear.”
- They wish they hadn’t worked their life away. Some people worked intensively throughout the years leading up to their retirement, leaving them with limited time to appreciate life.
- They regret how they navigated their relationships. Her patients frequently expressed misgivings over not saying sorry when they should have, not reconnecting sooner to their estranged family member or friends.
- They regret caring too much about what people thought. Not living the life they wanted, but living the life people around them wanted.
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The Reality of Growth in Life and Business:
Life and business growth are often misunderstood. Many people envision progress as a straight, upward trajectory—steady, predictable, and consistent. But in reality, growth is non-linear. It is defined by long periods of minimal change or slow progress, where it may feel like little is happening. These are the periods of preparation, learning, and process—the times when the foundation for future success is quietly being built.
Then come the spikes: the moments of significant wins that redefine everything. In business, it might be a major sale, a breakthrough partnership, or an idea that suddenly scales. In life, it could be the birth of a child, meeting a lifelong partner, or a moment of clarity that changes your path. These “big wins” seem to happen all at once, but they are the result of the groundwork laid during those slower periods.
Understanding this rhythm is key to staying motivated. The quiet times are not wasted; they are essential. And the spikes, while transformative, only come to those who commit to the process. Growth is not linear—it’s a journey of patience, persistence, and faith in the moments that will ultimately reshape your life.
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Data is mounting about the impact our attitudes and beliefs have on our health and longevity. Examining data from the Ohio Longitudinal Study of Aging and Retirement, a survey conducted from 1975 to 1995 that included views on aging; comparing early attitudes with death records, there is a striking correlation: People who reported positive age beliefs early on lived, on average, 7.5 years longer than those who had more negative beliefs. The advantage held even after controlling for age, gender, socioeconomic status, loneliness and health.
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The average P/E ratio of the top 10 largest companies in the S&P 500 is now almost 50. The historical average trailing P/E ratio for stocks is 17.5 (the higher the number, the more expensive stocks are relative to their earnings).
Tuna Thoughts 