Q02

Is there something that you wish you had done differently this past year? How would you have done it differently? And how can you learn from it to improve how things turn out in the future?

I do need to visit my family more. They are not that far but I seem to only see them once a year.

I wish I would have stood up for myself more in the work place and been more assertive....next time ill be less naive.

I wish that I had been a better mother to my teenage daughter, who deserves my best. I wish I had been more generous with my time, my energy, and my heart.

Just in general, I wish I had been more outgoing, more confident in my social interactions at college. I definitely took going to college for granted, and now I miss it. I had great friends, but I didn't branch out of my circle that much. Nothing in this regard would change where or what I am now. But I should not waste any chances I do get now to be friends or anything with people I meet. Be friendly, be outgoing, try not to be an asshole. (Not that I'm an asshole).

Act less hastily, consult more with other people, and be open about my doubts. Should not have quit my one job so quickly. Also should not have applied to business school so quickly, it will take me away from my current function as a creative in advertising.

I wish, sometimes, that I hadn't grown so close to certain people, because I know that as soon as they are gone it will hurt like hell. On the otherhand, I wish I'd remained close to some of the people I now feel I've lost.

I would not have made a very hurtful comment to my daughter. I can never get those words back. I need to be calmer in the future.

I have learned that no matter who or what you are actions have consequences. Being well off I thought I would be able to buy my way out of situation. I was wrong. I learned that karma has a way of putting you in your place every so often,

So what i wish is that on all things in the last year i was more thoughtful, less reactive. Someone i respect once stated to his children: "there are no accidents". i think this is true, though i wish that certain things in my life had not happened. i recently read that one should treat life's assignments day to day as a school assignment- plot out an outline, where you want to go, and make it happen from there by outlining the details. Writing this makes me recognize i will achieve my personal and business goals if i do just that in the future, even if the outline - even if its in my head. whether it be with my children, my wife, my extended family and/or friends & business associates.

Maybe I would be more forgiving to my family members for past deeds. For the future I would push myself to be more friendly and receptive to them, and not dwell on the past.

i wish i took more time to make some health changes.

Yes. I wish I would have taken the job I was offered and not passed it up. I could have always gotten a new job from somewhere else.

i took a lot of self improvement coaching, I would have applied myself more to improving my work

I wish I had spent more time taking care of myself instead of taking care of everyone else. I gained 15 lbs., was overtired all of the time, and had a lot of anxiety. I just started working out, taking time for myself, reading books, etc... and it makes me so much more able to handle situations that come my way. Makes me a better mother, wife, friend, daughter, etc...

Not having an argument with my eldest of three daughter on the day she was leaving for california, where she now lives and studies. I released pent up anger and disappointment which had built over the month she was home, some of which was justified and some unjustified. We reverted to "old ways" and it was an unsettling disturbing scene. In retrospect I learned I cannot feelings store and fester and then explode, I must express myself at the time I have the feelings in an appropriate way

I wish I had thought more about myself than what I thought I had to do

I don't know how I could have done things differently. My choices are me. My intentions and actions are in full view. I reap what I sow.

I really wish I had looked out for myself more. I entered a relationship almost immediately ending a very bad one. I really thought it was love. I gave too much of myself, ran through all the red flags, only to be disappointed and hurt-- devastated, really-- in the end. I need to learn to not be afraid to be alone. And that's not easy. I'm 45, single, never been married, no children. At the moment I'm unemployed, in debt, and overweight. I do feel like I'm staring down a lifetime of loneliness, but I can't allow it to alter my good judgement. Truth is, I don't believe I deserve anything.

There are so many things --at work, home, at my synagogue. Consistently the thing probably is that I lost track of the moment -- whether through opting out or through distraction. I lost the chance to savor the experience and realize the wonder of the world around me -- good and bad, easy and hard. Practicing what I know so that I catch myself when I'm opting out or distracted. I know what i'm missing but I haven't built the internal mental muscles to keep practicing. I can practice. Not waste another day.

I continued to allow personalities at work to affect me unduly, and continued to feed unhealthy dynamics there because of my reactivity. I also engaged in some gossip from time to time in an effort to "bond" more with some members of the group. That tendency to "bond" with people by putting others down whether obliquely or less subtly, has come up in other circumstances too. I'd rather acknowledge to myself that I feel left out, or hurt, or alienated, and deal directly with those feelings by breathing and by making the intention each day to hold myself tight, to keep my heart open. I am safe, and loved, regardless of how x,y,z people happen to behave. Everybody has a hungry heart.

I would have worked harder to lose weight - even though I'm in constant pain. Should have been more pro=active regarding PT and exercise. I know that less weight translates to less pain - and I'm going to work on that in the new year.

There are so many things I would like to have done differently that maybe the best thing I could have done would be to stop beating up on myself about everything I do. How to learn from it... I'm not sure. Give myself a break? Try a little kindness?

I didn't focus on my work effectively. I have been lucky and happy in personal ways (though I could be more attentive and responsive to others and less snarky at home). But my biggest frustration this past year is that my discipline has been eroded by on-line dithering. I think this is largely a matter of will--something within my control.

I missed an opportunity to come to the aid of a friend. Next time I will move on my instincts.

I wish I hadn't wasted so much time on the trivial. I lost focus on a couple of projects, hurt relationships in the process.

I am often impatient w/my 1 of my co-workers. I think really quickly, she needs more time to process. I could take a breath, or 2 & just wait til she gets her thoughts together. I wouldn't want to be spoken to by me in that way.

Not fallen in love as deeply as I have while being married. Been a lot more rational than emotional about my feelings. Try to think through the consequences of my actions before acting on my emotions.

I wish I had learned sooner (if I have, still not sure) how to deal with my mother when she irrationally blows up at me.

I wish I'd seen more of Canada this year. I let the year get away from me because I thought I had all the time in the world and suddenly I'm leaving without seeing what I wanted to see.

I wish I hadn't dated so many men from my past. I could have just listened to my gut. But once it seemed worth it. I don't know if I should listen to my gut more or less.

This past year was a big one. I worked hard, played hard, and knocked out all the big things I wanted to do. If I've learned anything, it is that I am capable of pretty much anything I want to do. That being said, this year I would like to live life more moderately. There is no need for me to go into hibernation. There is no need for me to be in 5th Gear (as some new friends would say) all the time. I feel like balance & moderation will help me towards a long-term goal of tenure. Start out slowly and gain momentum. "Slowly" is certainly a relative term, because course prepping is anything but slow, but it is steady and punctuated with with bursts of much more activity. I need to keep keeping up, stay a step ahead of the students, and carve out time for my writing and research.

I wish I had handled my doubts better this past year. Instead of accepting a great loss in March, a miscarriage, my doubts & my fears of never achieving motherhood soured me for months. I let fear direct my thoughts, and mourning became worse. I try to push away the fear now, somedays I'm good, and somedays I am not good about it. It's a day by day battle.

I wish that I had cooked more family meals for the family this year. I would love to have taken or perhaps had the time to do that for my family.

I wish I had been more cognizant of what was going on at our condo in Costa Rica regarding the property management. It could have avoided some unpleasantness on my last visit. I should have realized that things weren't getting done. I also wish I had kept my temper more in many situations. I really feel bad about certain situations in which I was short temperted with some people, even if they are people I will never see again. I need to be more aware of this and how it looks to others. I sometimes think that all this is age related and as I get older I am more entitled to outbursts. Not true, however. I wish my husband had nore time to spend on vacations with me. Maybe I shouldn't go away so much without him. Some things seem obligatory and others just for fun. Hope he retires soon.

There was a romantic situation that I feel I might have handled with more patience and grace. I'm not sure if anything I did would have changed the outcome, but I still feel that I could have made the situation easier on myself had I done a few things differently.

Yikes. I've been on the verge of enacting a rule in my life: no looking back. Hindsight is always 20/20 and mistakes will always be made. I make mistakes but I don't like to fault myself when the right decision is completely obscured. This question tempts me to say that I should have put off grad school. Classroom teaching still hasn't proven to be entirely fulfilling to me. But do I accept this and start over? Or do I work at it and be great like I know I can be? I can't be great if I don't put in the work. Firm believer. If anything I want to keep going in education for a couple years, just to see. I make decisions for a reason.

I'd make myself be more physically active and not succumb to the herniated disc, knee replacements, etc. It means making peace with how things are and moving on. I'd make sure to keep in touch with those I've neglected or rather lost touch with. I'd read more.

I wish I didn't sign a lease to a new apartment and sign a contract renewal with my job as now I'm stuck for a year

I wish I had not procrastinated about finding a job. I would have looked at my job search as a full time job, devoting hours each day to it. I can now do that, and in the future, realize that procrastination is a negative trait that I can not overlook.

I wish I would have tried to be more understanding and not so quick to judge, specifically in the case of my romantic relationships. When things weren't going the way I wanted them to, I was quick to shut down and check out of the relationship. I wish I would have opened my heart more and not been so selfish. I have learned that how I react makes all of the difference. If I am upset about something, instead of walling off, I should have made myself more vulnerable and talked about the problem with my partner. Instead I chose to be defensive and bitter. I have also learned that I am going to get back whatever I put into the relationship. If I only put in a little, I am only going to receive a little, if anything. If I contribute positively, with an open heart, then I am going to receive the same. I plan to improve on this by becoming more aware of when I am closing myself off or withdrawing from someone because I don't like what they are doing at that particular moment. As a single woman, I will try to keep my open heart to new possibilities for love and not be so quick to judge.

I wish I had worked harder to take care of myself. I wish I would hae committed sooner and better to a healthy eating and exercise lifestyle. I have learned that I can do it but its me that gets in my own way. I am still trying to figure out how to improve for next year since a lot of it is just me buckling down and doing it!

I wouldn't change anything I did this past year. Everything I did and everything that resulted has gotten me to the place I am now and played a part in shaping me into the person I am today. I'm far from perfect and I make plenty of mistakes but I learn everyday and am better for every experience I have had.

I wouldn't have insisted that my family come with me on a trip I led to Israel. I thought that I was providing my son, only a year and a half old at the time a great experience, and I was wrong. In the future, I will work t0 make sure that I think through why I ask my family to do something before asking them to do it.

This answer is the same for every year of my life: I wish I had found a way to do more writing, finished and published at least one piece writing, found a job, a career, that was fulfilling and could also support my family, found a way to make a decent living in the creative arts. If I knew how to do it differently, I would have done it, would do it.

I sincerely wish that I had understood how toxic my work situation had become. In the future, I need to step back from my emotions. I personalize negative reactions and attribute them to something that is wrong w me rather than with the situation or w someone else. I wish to learn how to step back and become more objective. I can learn from it to improve how things turn out in the future by stepping back emotionally and being less reactive and personalizing the situation less and distancing more.

I wish I had taken better care of my physical health this year. I wish that I had not put off seeing doctors for ailments that were easily treated and would have allowed me more freedom to exercise, which in turn would have helped me lose weight.

i don't think i would have acted differently this year. i made my mistakes in the long gone past and now that i am this age i just hope for health and live day by day.

i wish i had done better work/career-wise, but i'm not sure if there is much i could have done differently. i always feel like i could do more, both in terms of my day job/ brokerage work and my other projects/interests, but i also know that it was a crazy, unprecedented and unpredictable year economically and thus i was to some extent a victim of circumstance. but i guess one thing i could have done differently, though probably would have needed to start a little before this year, would be to be more budget-conscious and financially prudent, saving more, spending less, investing for the future and the proverbial "rainy day" or rainy year as the case was this time.

Just one thing? I think there are two things I wish I had done differently. The first one that came to mind was that I wish I had continued to lose the weight I was trying so hard to lose rather than to gain it back (perhaps plus more). Besides feeling like a failure, I feel like I am incapable of accomplishing this goal. And I am self consciousa and uncomfortable in my own skin and assume that's all people see in me because that's all I can see in myself. I guess the other thing that I had been thinking off was that I wish I had been less closed off with my husband. I feel like the wall is up and it's probably my weight again, but I'm not sure. I wish I didn't have this blockage. I don't know how to improve how things turn out in the future... with my husband I guess it's the knowledge that I don't WANT it to be that way. As far as the weight goes, wanting isn't enough. I'm not sure how to change it but I'm looking into options.

i wish i had not been so lazy. i took this whole year off and have spent the whole time sleeping and playing video games. i would have ridden more. i'm going to go back to school and start a career, not a job. i've got to grow up.

I generally try not to reflect on what I should have done, but merely what I have learned. What's done is done, but the lessons are what counts. I trusted my wife and I was betrayed. This led me down an unfortunate road, but it's all a part of what has happened. I have learned not to be as trusting in others and to be more trusting in my own instincts. I think in the future this will be beneficial--I have been told I don't consider my own feelings enough. Now I will.

Work faster so I can take time to relax. Not turn on the Personal side of the computer during work hours, establish "office hours" and free time and let my friends and family what they are.

I wish I'd let go of what wasn't working sooner, but who knows. I mostly wish that I had used some of my time to work on my own projects. I need to be as focused with my own projects as I am with other peoples. Even if the payoff isn't as immediate.

What a difficult question. as I often wish I could have done everything differently. You see I always think there is room for improvements in everything I do. I never look at anything as being done as all could have been done better. That is one of the reasons why I began practicing Yoga. To stay in the moment of what just happened and be appreciative that I completed a task, and did it to the best of my ability.

I don't regret any of the things I did in the past, but I certainly try to do different the next time if I feel they didn't work out so well. Something that I've already changed has to do with cluttering. When I moved to my apartment I thought I needed to buy many things because I saw those things in other people's houses. Especially after I started doing the cleaning myself, I realized most of those things were useless, and then began a decluttering process that continues until today!

I wish I had worked harder on the project I have under way and been less subject to distraction. I would like to have more self-discipline and be less lazy. How can I learn from this? I can only try to improve going forward. It comes from a basic lack of belief in myself: if I do my best and then fail, what good am I? Not putting your best effort into something, however, is always a handy excuse.

I wish I had been more on top of our finances several years ago, but the problems created couldn't have been changed this year. Basically, I'm fairly happy with what I've done this year - we've kept our equilibrium through really trying times.

For the most part, this year I did what I had to do, it wasn't a time for free personal choices, only tough decisions. But if I could go back, I probably would have changed the way I reacted to things that were happening to me and my reponses to people who violated me and did hurtful things would have changed.

No. No matter what I have gone through in the past year, there is absolutely nothing I would change. I am a firm believer in living without regret. This year was filled with incredible and tumultuous moments, but I believe they were all equally important, whether I reposed to them in precisely the manner as I had hoped, or not.

Actually, I feel like I've been on an upward trajectory this year. I've been productive, accomplished a lot of projects that had been on the back burner for years, and gotten organized. I've never felt better! The only caveat will be keeping this pace once I have kids...

I would have avoided pulling a muscle in my left arm. Man that was annoying. I wouldn't have increased weights so quickly, definitely... it turns out 35lbs on each side of the wavy bar was a bit more than my forearm liked. I learned to take it a bit easier when progressing in weight, duh!

More evenings talking and less with the TV and computers turned on. We've gotten better about setting aside family time between dinner and our daughter's bedtime, but we need to make more time for ourselves as a couple still.

I wish I had been more patient with my family.

I really wish I would have kept up with my health and fitness goals. I feel much better and have more energy when I am working out and need to force myself back into a routine this year. I am actually going running right now and may consider joining a gym instead of using the apt facility.

I wish I had stopped to think about what's important. I have personal projects that are really important to me, but they get thrown to the wayside when I'm stuck in the routine of work work work. I wish I had a better way to break out of that dronish state.

I wish I had spoken up sooner about how unhappy I was in my marriage. Would it have changed anything as it stands now? Maybe; but it might have just prolonged the inevitable. In any case, I didn't speak up for fear of rocking the proverbial boat. THAT was a big mistake.

I wish I had fought harder on the edit for my new book. I was too afraid given the economic climate that the publisher would cancel the book. But in retrospect, I had more control than I thought. In the future, I'll go to the mat more aggressively.

taken more of the opertertunites before me - stop being so shy and self concious.

I would not have convinced my brother to stay close to home for college. I wish I would have let him make his own decision and been supportive of him in that. I hope this will teach me that I have greater influence over people than I know sometimes and my opinion is not always the right one.

I am really proud of what I accomplished in the past year. The only thing I would have done differently would have been to be a little more proactive in meeting new people.

Honestly, I don't with I'd done anything differently. I'm not one to look back on what's happened and wish it had differently, I'm more one to say "this is how it is, and now I will deal with that".

I wish I had left work earlier, more often. And I wish I had exercised more.

I still wish that I was able to articulate when I am upset without fearing panic in confronting. There have been times where if I had spoken earlier, things would not have escalated into what they became. I have to remember that confrontation is not always a bad thing and that you don't lose friends or roommates over confrontation.

I think I pushed myself, this year, as I could. I was extremely ill for the beginning quarter or more of it, and had major surgery. I got myself working on things I had put off for years. I barely made a dent in those, but at least I tried. I missed an event that would have meant a great deal to me, my work, and possibly my financial future. I regret that a great deal. But I was trying to be responsible, after years of escapism. I hope I can continue to catch up without having lost more.

I wish that I had taken better care of myself this year. I struggle with my own self care, including diet, skin, and exercise. I don't know if I could have done any better than I did, but I do wish I could improve my own caregiving of myself. I often feel that I must give to others before I take care of myself, and, although I have gotten better over the years, it is still a struggle to maintain the balance -- what is right for me and how much I can give. I hope this year to be able to mingle my own caregiving with what I do for others, and to recognize my limits.

ridiculous progressive nonsense!

I wish I had peeled away an hour every day for meditation, introspection, asking myself the larger questions. If I had formed a clearer notion of what I want out of life, out of each day, I would approach those goals with more focus and conviction and I could have seized every opportunity that came my way far more effectively. To improve, I can make sure when I think about those questions, I write down my answers so I can refer back. Even if those answers change over the long term, they won't flip-flop as smaller life circumstances shift. And then my wife and I can work together to integrate those goals into our collective path, reducing the amount of frustration that comes out of goals shifting too often.

My partner and I were separated for 6 months while she started a career 3000 miles away, while I was putting some of my life in order. This was a significant 6 month period for both of us - I wish we would have been at the transition period together, so we could be somewhat emotionally on the same page - as it is now, she has 6 months of adjustment on me, and I feel as tho I have to catch up. It certainly exacerbates my feelings of isolation, loneliness and disconcertion because I am doing it all alone - and I feel sad that she had to experience all of that alone with out me too. I wonder what it would have been like had I moved with her, whether my/our adjustment would have been as dramatic as it has been - We have both agreed that when confronted with this choice in the future (and we will), that we would make the move together.

I wouldn't have robbed that liquor store outside of Waco. The poor kid workin' there didn't deserve what he got and nobody's life is worth a crummy $57.80. I did to pay for my girl's implants and she ended up ditching me for some guy in a band once she got them. I need to stop getting into relationships where I m manipulated into doing the wrong thing. From now I on I won't engage in armed robbery or grand theft auto. I am also gonna shave my mullet, buy a suit and put my economics degree to work.

I wish I had made time to clean out the garage, basement workroom, and closets in the spare bedrooms. I should have set certain days to work on them and made it a priority as if it were an appointment. I have seen an unscheduled day as a time to fill up doing things outside the home. The fact that it is bothering me, having things we don't use around, should make it something that I do first before . The clutter around, makes my mind feel cluttered.

I wish I had been a little more conscious about who I vented about and how I vented. I try to be conscious about being a good person, but in retrospect, I let my annoyance with certain people in my life override my desire to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I think I can be even more conscious of this in the future.

Taken better care of myself and spent more time with my family. I'm working now so that I can eventually spend more time with my family. I need to stick to the plan.

I wish I had taken proactive care of my health by attending to the clear signals that my body had sent. I am one who is fortunate enough to have excellent health care coverage and I neglected to prioritze my health above other demands. I have learned that avoidance of or compensation for health deficiencies only prolongs and exacerbates underlying challenges. I will no longer wait until my body screams at me, but will take the time to listen to and honor the whispers.

I wish I had always asked myself if I was at cause or effect. When I was at effect I wish I had know that this was fear caused by being at effect of someone or something. I have learned to listen to myself and continue to trust myself. I also know that my heart can be at effect and my soul is always at cause. When they are in conflict I am in conflict. When they are aligned...I am aligned and whole.

I wish I had given myself more credit for all of the great things I have done this year, instead of beating myself up when occasionally things didn't work out. In the future I will always try my hardest, but if things fall flat, know that I did my best and outside circumstances affected the final result.

There are alot of things that I would change about myself, who wouldn't. I wish I was more open to new ideas and not so scared about relationships. Opening myself up emotionally is one of the hardest things I will probably ever have to do and hopefully throughout this coming year, I can continue to learn to trust people more and not sensor myself inside so much.

i would drink less & draw more.

I would have taken my son outside more. I would have brought him around more people and more things. I have spent the last year "hiding" in the house out of fear of germs and exposing my son to people that in my mind would hurt him. I have lived in fear since my son was born that i needed to protect him from the world that would hurt him. What I am slowly learning is that people don't want to hurt him they want to get a chance to know and love him. Only since my cancer diagnosis has he been able to meet his cousins, and other members of his family. His reaction showed me just how wrong i was in my thinking. Instead of being afraid, he embraced them, ran to them, laughed and smiled. Only since my cancer diagnosis have I brought him to the park taken both of our shoes off and ran in the grass. It was an amazing day, it brought me back to the innocence of my own childhood. I can't remember the lasy time I even smelled grass, let alone, walked through it without shoes.

I wish I had worried less and taken better care of myself. I hope I can change the story of my past to help me live more presently in my, well, present.

I learned that I can begin a project with the joy of artistic creativity and then turn it into a job. If I do that, the joy, the play, the privilege go out of it and it becomes duty. That takes the life out of it, and I start to procrastinate and avoid doing it. It matters how I spend my leisure time -- am I doing enough to stimulate and encourage the artist child within me? -- and it matters how I think about and approach the work. Also, I have learned that I don't have to be rigid about which creative enterprise I'm focused on. I can take it more as it comes and not make rules about "I'm only writing now, so I can't paint," or "I'm writing books now so I can't write songs." Let it all happen in its own time.

I wish alot of things....I wish I would have been less of a gossip. I should keep my opinions about sensitive matters to the few people I am close with. It comes back to bite me in the ass, and I am afraid I have alienated people with my "loose lips"

I have started deciding on doing things on my own and trying not to get negatively influenced by my surroundings.

I wish I wouldn't procrastinate so much. Just do it.

I feel pretty happy about things I did this past year. This feels strange to realize and to write, because much of the time I still go around feeling rather unfocused and not really having a handle on what I should be doing with my life. Maybe what I wish I had done differently would be to let my life inform me of what my life is about, and start to appreciate myself more, realizing that I am focused and creative and productive, in my own ways.

I fell off the gym wagon and am having a hard time getting remotivated. I am feeling not so great about my body and would like to try and get back into some kind of shape.

I wish I had been more focused on my school work and my teaching apprenticeship. The last two years, I have just coasted by. Now that I am in my junior year of college, and student teaching is right around the corner, I really need to get on track.

I assumed things could not get any better or that in order to change the way i felt about a situation, I'd have to drastically change my life and so i did nothing rather than seek out help or therapy.

I wish that I worked a little bit harder to draw lines in my life. I'm blessed to live in a city where work and pleasure collide, but it can be consuming and a source of emotional stress and decrease my productivity. In the future, I need to not be so impulsive and think about how my personal choices will affect my career and vice versa

I wish I had kept in better touch with a couple of friends. Having the internet available makes it easy to fall into staying in touch via e-mail instead of making phone calls to those who don't have e-mail. I find myself just not taking time to contact them. I'll rectify that this year. Thinking particularly of Aunt Betty and my friend Mary Helen.

I think I didn't really take amazing care of myself this year, not all the time. I haven't read enough, walked enough, ate well. I've been focused on work and pleasing others, making my partner happy, and the like. I hope that I can take this year to really refocus on my energy and make some me time so that I can really get to the point I would like to get to in terms of balance.

I wish I would learn to work harder and more concentratedly at work. I hate how I procrastinate but I can't keep myself from doing it. I like this job and it doesn't deserve for me to do it in a half-assed way.

I wish I had been less of a procrastinator. But I think I'm getting better.

i would like to have exercised more. Every year i think i will do something that will make me get the body i want - but i never quite get there. It's not like I'm overweight or anything - but i do get distracted by temptation of alcohol and unhealthy foods... I need to set a goal - and then stick to it...!

I wish I had telephoned more old friends. And I will do that this year.

absolutely not. I am thrilled with where I am as I begin this new year and it wouldn't have happened any other way.

I wish I was more concerned with long term goals then short term comforts. I think I've come a long way in being able to honestly and impartially reflect on my life and make things better year after year, but I sometimes I think I trick myself in wanting things that are either unhealthy in the long term, or have no relevance to any long term goals.

My eldest son has significant emotional problems which cause continual strife in our household. I need to learn better how to react and, more importantly, how NOT to react to his mood swings and tantrums. When I get angry, it only brings me down and does nothing to help him feel better. I need to remember throughout his vitriol, that it is his illness speaking, and not him.

I wish I'd give myself enough time and space to relax and enjoy life. I should have taken more holiday. In future, I would like to take the time to plan in advance and prioritise relaxation and exercise. I'd like to embrace 'why not?'. I've learnt that life satisfaction is essential for my well being. I must continue to self-praise and love myself if I'm to improve my future quality of life.

I wish I'd done more writing. I could have spent less time online, driving, and spinning my wheels. Also wish I'd read more. I will limit myself with time-wasters (like yard work, going online, and driving), and use all spare time to either write or read.

I wish I would have done better my first semester at 'real college' I fell in love and everything else sort of fell by the waste side. I would have balanced things a bit better. I also wish I would have made more of an effort to make a few girl friends, instead of alienating the few 'built-in' ones I accumulated. Balance is a very important factor in being successful in anything, and if I can take away one thing from this past year, balance would be it.

Everything that has happened in my life happened for a reason, so no, there is nothing that I would of done differently last year. If anything, I wish I focused more on myself and was a bit more selfish toward myself because since doing that in the past month or two, it has made a tremonduous impact on my life for the better and it has enabled me to let go of things that were toxic to my life but other than that, everything that happened last year happened for a reason.

i wish that i had seen my family more... once a year is just not enough. Though they are far I should have made a point to either bring them to me or gone to them more often.. time with them is not infinite- especially the time with my aging parents...

Time goes so fast! I wish that I would have spent more time wth my family: playing ith my children, having family dinners and game nights, having dates with my husband... I have to learn to budget my time better so that there is room in my life for more than just my job.

Thinking more. Listening more. Feeling more. Talking less.

i wish i would have been more patient with my husband and son. i get so aggravated and then yell, and i immediately feel bad about it and apologize, but i wish it never came to that. in the future, i hope i can think before i speak, and take some deep breaths to try to relax and be patient.

I wish I had communicated my feelings more directly to my wife. I think that constantly checking in with her about stuff is a REALLY important way to keep things healthy in a relationship. I just have to remember to talk about things at the moment they happen and not be afraid of conflict. We are in therapy now, so there is more of a provided outlet to talk about stuff, but the really important thing is to not let stuff slide during daily life. I also wish I had eaten less this past year. There will always be other red velvet cupcakes and bacon wrapped dates out there.

I wish I had responded in a loving and understanding way to questions my husband asked (he'll be 85 next month). I find myself bewildered by his questions...they're about something we've discussed, or they're about something I couldn't possibly answer. I know at the deepest level I'm worried about this...about his mental capacity, which is in full gear otherwise. But I see other things...he's not as engaged in small life stuff as he used to be. We're in a totally new phase of life. In the year to come, I will be supportive in every way I can.

I would have talked to my brother more often. I feel like I could have helped appease the situation with him and dad. I don't know if I have that power, but if I had started earlier, there might have been a fighting shot.

i wish i would have found the time to learn css or lightwave this year but the only way that would have happened is if I worked less this year and that would be impossible

I wish I had spent more time with friends, enjoyed my time in school more. I could have attended more events held by my faculty. I also wish I hadn't been so afraid to put myself 'out there'. I can try to get out more, and not be afraid to approach people.

i went to stamford hospital for my mamograms and subsequent treatment - lumpectomy. it was a terrible experience with a hospital that is solely interested in money. i got second rate treatment, but they got thousands and thousands of dollars from the government and my insurance. i had to go for more treatment because they did not get the cancer, and i am happy to say i had a wonderful experience at sloan kettering.

Honestly, I don't believe in regrets. It's lifes bumps and bruises that make you who are. We make mistakes and change so we can find our way to something better. This year I redefined my goals and priorities.I began the daunting process of applying to graduate school and navigating my way in a new city. I ended up finding myself. I am excited to go back to school to pursue marketing,to get involved with the community, to explore my spiritual relationship with Christ and to find love.

i drank a lot of beer i stopped but i wish i hadn't of done it

This has been a year of tremendous financial difficulty and stress. While I am thrilled and far more fulfilled that I am embarking on a new career, I do wish I was better prepared financially to make this transition. What would I have done differently? Be slightly more aware that decisions that can make me happy today not have a stressful consequence tomorrow. But me being me, happy today always outweighs solvent tomorrow. What a dilemma.

I wish I had been more pro-active in the Italy trip. If I had done a little more research and/or planning, I might have been able to see or do more, rather than being over sensitive to Jeanne's needs. I need to start taking more responsibility for planning things and not being upset if/when they don't happen.

I wish that I had been more diligent this year about self care. I've let work and other stresses guide many of my behaviors and it's really affected my level of happiness. I need to spend more time relaxing and doing things that make me happy.

Absolutely. I can think of two things right off the bat. I enrolled in a Chemistry class that I had to drop because we had a personality clash. I had take

I would have taken the time to reflect upon my travels to Israel a little longer. There are definitely lessons I think I could have learned had I given the reflection the time it deserved. There is still time to do it though. I really should sit down and do some writing about it.

I wish i had gotten control of my finances sooner. I will monitor my finances more consciously this coming year. i will not use a credit card to pay bills.

I wish I had taken better care of myself physically in the year that I was out of work. I wish I had more consistently gone to the gym and eaten healthier. In the future, I need to prioritize myself more.

This was a difficult year for me as I had no income outside of unemployment. I have a wonderful mother who has helped me through this crisis. I learned a lot this year from networking w/many diverse organizations and individuals. I'm proud of my tenacity so far. Although, I could have pushed harder to accomplish more sooner. However, I do believe that this is my journey and things are moving forward.

The BIG thing I wish I had done differently this past year is wasting all the free time I had after getting laid off. When I first got laid off I sat back and rested for a little bit. The work I was doing was stressing me out and honstly it felt to get a break from it. As time went on though the idea that I wasn't doing anything again started to sink in. I knew I didn't want to go back to a corporate design job but I kept spinnin my wheels figuring out what I was going to do. I thought a bout it all the time but I wasn't doing anything, just wasting free time. It took me a good few months to decide on getting back into screen printing. I was properly motivated when I first started. It felt really good at first. But I lost some steam. I printed over the summer, but nowhere near as much as I could have, or wanted to. I sat around a lot this summer not doing much. I was wasting more free time. Time that could have been spent drawing, or printing, or working on our company website. Now that I'm contracting again I miss the free time. I realize what I should have been doing. How can I improve the future? I can do my best to make the most of the free time I have. I'm a person who has a lot of it and I'm not doing much with it other than partaking in casual distraction. I need to remember that time is fleeting and that I might not get a chance to do the things I want to later down the line.

I would have given myself more of a break. As a mother, I am always very hard on myself that I should do more or should have done things better. I am a great mom, if I do say so myself and I wish sometimes I could just slow down, step back and realize that. I will now learn to just slow down and be less stressed and appreciate and enjoy things more. even the little things and the "problems" and bad things..

I wish I had done more to make myself happy in the long run - exercise, health, trying to date.....

I wish I had discussed my dose of narcotic pain killers with Dr Roy and/or gone to the pain clinic so I didn't risk his drastically lowering the dose at such a critical time (when my son and his girlfriend were coming to help me put the house in order). The results of this error, were that I was in acute withdrawal when they arrived and thereby lost half of the crucial two months they were to help me. I was also in terrible shape mentally and physically, and was too fogged out to superintend this all-important job which was a one time chance. Our relationship also suffered terribly, as did his precarious mental health, academic life, self image and relationship with his (now former) girlfriend. Note: Dr Roy was grievously at fault, but I was still taking an unacceptable risk. If I had fully admitted this to myself, I could have preempted the horrific possible problems which arose by depending on him to behave professionally - "guilting" him, if needs be. This is a risky way to manage ones life. If I'd admitted my jeopardy, I could have taken control of my life instead of relying on luck and other people's understanding. I lied to myself about the degree of risk I was taking. Dr Roy did not really understand how much medicine he was prescribing or the impact of the medicine on my functioning. He's a neurologist, not a pain specialist. He doesn't really understand pain killers, dependence (addiction), or the emotional aspects of medicine he was prescribing. Sooner or later the shit was going to hit the fan! Learn: Face facts and preempt possible problems by taking control - don't rely on luck or other people when my life is at stake. I also regret procrastinating in my plan to invest heavily in India and China (as I told everyone I was going to do), to spend my time instead of Ted's financial aid snafu which he was late with. I lost the chance of doubling my money and relieving my mind of this now ongoing research into how to invest it. I could have been working on my project now instead, both because I would have my anxiety alleviated and because I'd have had more money. Lesson: Never procrastinate in an financial investment you're sure of. Either do it or forget it. Investments are time-dependent.

I wish that when the opportunity presented itself I had pursued the chance to renew an old high school friendship from 30 years ago. When I missed his call and got the message to give him a call sometime, I should have called. 9 months later and I'm stuck. I will call him by the end of the year.

I'm still making relationship mistakes. I wish I knew how to avoid them WHEN they are happening not after which is when realize the errors.

This past year I would have been more frugal. I spent a lot of money I didn't need to spend, but really none of it I regret, I just wish I had more in savings! This year I plan to budget much more

I took some risks on monies that were supposed to be coming in via freelance work but didn't materialize. I'm paying that with interest now and it's killing what little free time I have.

In one way, I wish I'd made certain decisions much sooner, and stuck with them. I feel like I wasted a lot of time and energy trying to salvage situations that were obviously not serving my best interests. However, I learned quite a bit from all of them, and had some great times along the way, so perhaps it's all for the best.

I wish I would have looked harder for another job.

I wish I had been more involved in my community. Now we've moved and I don't want to make that same mistake in our new town.

I wish I had been more patient at the times when my mom or boyfriend annoyed me ... I have already begun to work on this by stepping in their shoes and taking a moment to breathe before speaking, and I will continue to try to gain better patience and perspective in the coming year.

Not be so reactive to people who upset me. I guess the real solution is better, quicker decision making while dealing with them. But this isn't a skill I've begun to master yet.

I wish I had loved myself more. It helped no one to beat myself up over relationships that didn't work.

I wish I had been slower to get angry: to be able to step outside moments of frustration, take a step back and see the proverbial big picture. Often, my frustration stems from a deeper frustration with myself as opposed to whatever is in front of me -- a whining kid, a broken traffic light -- and if I could take responsibility for what and who I am, maybe then my responses to the world around me would be more indicative of the person I really think I am.

I wish I would of managed my money better because I had opportunities to place certain funds towards the goal of financial freedom. Manage the moment when I have the funds and place them were I feel they would best support my needs. I did however start using Mint.com to help track my expenses to see what I really have been doing and I do have money. I realize I do have money and I will have money I just need to use it to meet my goals. And making priorities of what is the most important to pay or live day by day. I can give myself my own sense of security by believing everything is going to be alright and allow all the gifts of wealth and success to come to my life. I believe there is enough for everyone so I can enjoy wealth of money and wealth of success without guilt and judegment. I am recongizing how I use my money and my patterns to help plan for one dream; europe trip.

Understood what was happening. I still don't. Health, kids, career, marriage all were under stress or change. Too much to understand. Could not have done it differently as understanding will come. In the future, don't shirk responsibility-do what needs to be done.

I wish that I had done more this summer. Sitting around doing nothing is a total bummer. I also wish I had done better in school, homework sucks, but it matters.

I would likely stop my impending birthdays. I feel I have been lazy this year and haven't looked for the fountain of youth as I should.

I would have put aside money for ordering new product initially. If I am able to raise money for the capital to order new product, I will make sure that the next lot is paid for when determining my show schedule.

Wow. I wish I'd studied harder for my day job, had been more focused on my efforts to do my passion as well. I feel like most of my life has taken these turns for a reason though, and I like where I am going a lot.

This year I wish I had saved more money over the summer, when I had so much time to do so. Frustrating as it is, I also wish I had done more things while I had the time in Europe. I came home wishing I had seen more things, had more time, and next time I go I won't feel like this when I leave.

I wish i hadn't been so scared to follow my dreams.

Nothing on a major scale, but there are countless times when I could have been kinder, better at communication, or less hasty with a decision.

I wish I had learned more about recovery. I thought I knew how to help everyone, even myself, but it turned out that I was drowning. I've begun to learn what a healthy life can look like, and I've learned from the incredible sadness of this last year. This process of life is so slow and so fast.....

I wish I hadn't shut down over the winter. I am trying to find ways of keeping myself engaged in my own life, even when I feel all alone.

I'm happy with the last year even with the cancer diagnosis. It reaffirmed my belief that we have good people in our lives and they are willing to do whatever is needed to help. I have also watched my mother-in-law suffer through a number of small strokes, and though she no longer has short term memory and repeats stories constantly, she still has dignity and deserves to be treated with respect, which her own children refuse to do. It has taught me that if I suffer anything like it, I want my sister in law to take me out to the back 40 and shot me-I'm not kidding, I don't want to be living without my mind and having my husband and children going through what my father in law and we are all dealing with.

I wish I had not been in a purely reactive mode where I was constantly responding to the demands of others and feeling like it was never enough. I do not feel in control of my own life. I need to set limits and find time and space to take care of my own needs so that I can have a stronger base to say NO and ask for what I want.

I wish that I would be more willing to accept the things I cannot change. All too often I waste so much time trying to change things that are not in my control. I wish that I would have been more open and honest with people instead of trying to hide things. Now, I am looking for a way to bring forth honesty as well as being in the confident in the choices I make.

More kind & less sarcastic. More trusting & less suspicious. More willing & less resistant. More easy-going & less judgmental. More welcoming & less opinionated. How to do that? Just pause a moment. And when in doubt walk it out. I am also comforted by this piece by John Leonard, "In the cellars of the night, when the mind starts moving around trunks of old times, the pain of this and the shame of that, the memory of a small boldness is a hand to hold." I have a few of those to remind me how to go into the day.

I was really mean to my family on our vacation to Florida. I regret that. I would have had so many more memories if I had been more selfless. I was a brat and I know that. I will try to be more SELFLESS in the future, and more GRATEFUL for my family and the time we have together in the future.

I wish I was better at controlling my pain so as not to channel it through anger so much. I need to be more like my Dad was, more even-tempered. I would truly honor his memory if I could accomplish that.

I'm not sure I'd have had sex as soon in the relationship as I did. I don't regret it, though - we're still together, and I'm glad every moment of my day. I wouldn't have panicked as often as I did, I wouldn't have flaked out on people so much, and I would've been more patient and calm and compassionate. I'll try to stick with that this year.

I wish I didn't take Geography 101. It was pointless and hurt my GPA. Also, I wish I had not told a friend how I felt about that person. I now know that one must let things happen on their own. No need to put everything out in the open.

Every year I swear Ill volunteer and I always neglect it. I did some tutoring in the spring, but when the progam ended, I lost touch. The problem was that I didn't commit. I did part time, drop in, and irregular. If I commit, Ill be there.

I wish I'd been better about living in the now as opposed to constantly worrying about the future or wasting all my time waiting for other people instead of just going out and doing what I wanted. I'm trying to appreciate more about each day and take advantage of opportunities for myself now - and to stop checking my email and phone so obsessively to see if other people have contacted me.

I wish I'd been a better sister.

I wish I would have taken more risks and been less anxious about my decisions.

I am not the type to regret. I reeally don't look at life that way...I tend to get to the lesson in something really quickly and chose to grow from it. It has been quite a year though! The things I did differently are really the simple things.....called my grandfather more....hmm...there are things I could say I wish I had learned sooner but I also know I had to go through things to learn them.....so really, eerything is in line with it should be for me to be where I am now and to keep moving forward.

I spent too much time this year doing two or more things at once and not giving my full concentration to either. In the future I'd like to put my whole head and heart into whatever I'm working on (or playing it) without trying so hard to multitask or always thinking about the next thing I'm going to do.

I have a couple of small instances of regret which are representative of something I do repeatedly, which I would really like to change. I occasionally drop the ball on following up on what could be an important opportunity or contact. I did that on two occasions I can think of this year, It usually happens when I'm ambivalent about the prospect. But I need to deal with that ambivalence head-on and be straightforward - thank the person and state that I'm not interested in pursuing it and why; instead I tend to get mired in my mixed feelings and put off contacting the person until it's too late and I've clearly flaked out.

Day one Yes - been more careful and honest in friendships and been less afraid of many things including driving in the city. Day 2 I could have beem clearer about what I wanted and more able and willing to communicate that. I could just do things and remind myself that it doesn't really matter what others think about what I do including my driving . I can just take my time and try it. The GPS Garmin helps - but I have to trust that this device will serve me well. When I want to do something I can bring my focus back on myself - instead of worrying about others bein inconvenienced or what they might think.

I wish I had stayed focused. I'm all over the place. I've stopped smoking pot. That might help. But the main problem is that I still don't really know what I want out of life.

Yes, I wish I had began looking into starting a business. I already save all my receipts. So the next step is rather quite natuiral

There's nothing substantive that I wish I had done differently, but looking back on the fabric of everyday life, there are places where I wish I had chosen differently: been kinder and more patient (with myself and with others), been more inclined to give others my full attention instead of multitasking. I think these are lessons I can carry with me into the year to come.

Not really. I tend not to dwell on regret. I only regret when I've hurt someone, but sometimes it seems impossible not to. I always hope that what's happened is leading to something better.

I would not have gone to California in August and would have slowed down before my body decided to do it for me.

I really wish I would have saved more money. Every year something happens, some sort of emergency and I'd like to be more prepared for those little surprises. This year my partner lost his job and we had just enough money to pay our bills for the few weeks he was unemployed. We were lucky. I think if I spend less, put back more, and pay off my credit cards the future will be easier to deal with.

I wish I had been more disciplined about both the amount of time I spent on creative projects and in taking care of myself, physically, but I feel I've been in a larger cycle of recovery from a very traumatic set of experiences so maybe that's just wishful thinking. I think, actually, that I did a pretty good job of embracing a somewhat chaotic year, and perhaps there really isn't I wish I'd done differently. Been kinder, in general, been more honest with myself about what I want. Those are probably the areas I could have improved on.

I would find a way to combine more sensitivity and grace with pushing for change. I would have more good humor. I would be more patient with people who have different views from mine. I would also have a thicker skin. I'm sure that by making these changes I will will better accomplish the change I want to make in the world, in others, and in myself.

I feel like I'm still not spiritually where I'd like to be. I feel very frustrated at times that I"m not really passionate about anything - kind of a numbness that I can't seem to shake. I hope in the coming year that I'll make some changes - whether personally, or professionally, or spiritually - or maybe all three. Come to think of it, maybe imptoving one area will improve the others.

I would have tried to enjoy my 'unemployed' summer more - the time between finishing school and finding a job. I had three months of down time that I desperately needed but I was so worried about getting a job that it was hard to relax and enjoy not having obligations for the first time in a long time. I did a good enough job - read lots of novels, went to the beach, cleaned my apartment for the first time in months - but I didn't do as good a job as I could have at being present, because I was anxious about what would come next. In the future, I think I'd try to be more present - even when the future is totally scary and unknown.

I wish I had spent more time with my family, both my immediate family and the cousins here in LA.

I wish that I had enjoyed life more instead of being bogged down by small mistakes and things I can't control.

I wish I had changed my business strategy sooner. Even though the numbers and facts told me the world was changing, my ego was too hesitant to change the old marketing strategy and reduce overhead until the economy turns around. What I learned? Even when it looks like the end of a road, you can always turn or veer left or right. No one will tell you for sure the right way, but for me myself, I now understand that there are times when a change is better than staying the course.

I have few regrets about this past year. Still, I recognize that I should be less self-conscious about voicing deeply held social and political opinions, especially those pertaining to social and environmental justice issues. To "right" this personal failing in the new year, I will strive to act more in accord with my beliefs. I've volunteered for one day of work each month with a community senior center, as well as irregular, but repeated volunteer days with local environmental groups. Also important will be an even greater degree of attention given to the ripple of my own consumer power (i.e., food choice, packaging, charitable giving, etc.). Despite being a vegetarian who preferences local, organic produce, I've time and again "fudged" the purchasing side of the equation by buying mass produced foods or products harvested or manufactured on the other side of the world. In doing so, I've supported companies, approaches, and philosophies that are not aligned with my sensibility and desire. I will attempt to more rigorously police my purchasing power.

I wish I would have held on to the values and the changes I earned from being sick. I say earned because they were all hard fought. Whether physically or mentally, I hit rock bottom in a lot of ways and then built myself back up. Where I would change things is to continue building on myself, holding fast to the priorities I had in place for so many months. When my body recovered, I let those go. In retrospect, I wish I could hold on to the sense of urgency I felt while I was sick. Going forward, I'm working to create that sense of urgency in everyday choices.

I had great plans to travel next year, but have only been able to save up a portion of the money. Thus, my plans need to be scaled down. I wish I had been more disciplined about saving money. I would have budgeted more. I will now budget more, as soon as I pay off my credit card, after the beginning of next month.

I have been a horrible friend... I guess part of the problem is that everything seems so black and white, and it prevents me from seeing fault in what I do. I'm not neccessarily a 'gossip', or at least I don't think I am, because everything is 'black and white.' I don't tell lies about people behind their back, and that's what a gossip is, right? And as long as I'm not an 'evildoer' like the Psalmsist calls them, then I'm not that bad, am I? That's a horrible thing to think, and very dangerous. If I'm not as bad as some people, then I'm just content to think that I'm just not a bad person. Although I don't lie about people, I've said 'truths' I probably shouldn't have said. And I feel guilty about this... I don't know why my life is so blessed when I've done horrible things to friends of mine... and maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe I haven't been so bad to my friends. But I haven't always been there when they needed me. I haven't always been there for my husband when he needed me. I can be selfish, but I'm allowed to have time to myself, right? If I don't feel like talking to someone, I have the right to call them back later? I just hope I can improve... I want to be a good friend. I don't want to talk about anyone behind their backs... evne if it's true, it doesn't mean it should be said. I need to remember that no matter what, the words I say can hurt more than anything I can do... and I hope for the new year I can remember this.

I suppose I shouldn't have been so tough on my mother when her issues triggered my own. Other than that I don't know that there's anything specific I would have done differently - perhaps to be more intentional about what I was doing, but under the circumstances that wasn't possible. I think the main thing is not to take for granted all the good things that happened this year and not to assume that any of it necessarily will be repeated next year.

I wish that I had found a job that I was really passionate about and had the courage to not get involved in business with my sister so that I'd be doing something that I like, feel like an independent person and have a much better income. I need to figure out what I really what to do and where I want to be. I don't want to keep changing cities and starting over. I want to feel like the place where I live is home. I miss the notion of "home".

I would have done more fun things. I would have been busier in my free time. I would have gone to more museums, more live theater, more evenings out with friends. I would have had friends to my home!

i wish i was more confident inmyself. this year my main goal is to believe in myself and show my true inner beauty!

I wish I had put more energy and focus into the things that I have been doing, committed myself more, risked myself more, dared more - been more out there and just tried new things and see where it would take me. I should do that this year - just do more and try more, quite simple. Just do - not be so hesitant! Do and experience, live and learn!

I wish I was more motivated. My apartment is a mess, I need to lose more weight and just want to give up half of the time. I could have stayed more focused with both the losing weight and cleaning up. I plan on improving the weight loss by getting back on an exercise schedule and going to my weight watchers meetings even when I travel or have company in town. I need to make it about me right now. For cleaning up I need to make it a habit and push my boyfriend to do more, maybe we can track what we do for a week and see who has more time and divide the chores up accordingly?

I really wish that my husband and I spent more time together. All other commitments seem to come first. We must put a date on the calendar to spend alone time. We need to do something fun together like dance or cooking classes. I need to spend less time on the computer-I need to turn off the computer.

I wish that possibly I had thought a bit more about applying for PhD places, and realised that I might not have been successful applying for a second time. If I had thought about it, I would have attempted to instead find a job much earlier and just worked to go back to uni and do a Masters this year instead of next year. In future, I think I might try and not take things for granted, and try and prepare better for the future.

I would have been honest about what I was thinking and would have given the honest answer instead of what I knew was expected

Generally, I wish I'd been less hamstrung by fear. Differently would have been to act despite my fear. When I managed to do that, it usually turned out for the better. The lesson is obvious. Will I learn it?

i wish i could have had the courage to reopen my business and to save more money to buy my apatment. avoid carrying so much moey around and being robbed. investing on people who doesnt deserve it wasting my time w stupid things that are not worth it.

I wish I had stayed closer to my parents. I didn't realize how well they did not know me until I moved back home for my third year of college. I lived out of state and on my own for my first two years, and I changed so much, becoming the more focused and confident young lady I am today. Now, with the love of my life holding my hand and my old high school bedroom and rules around me, I must try to explain to my parents what happened to me over the past two years. I mean, they do know some of it, but it will still take some time for them to get to know me again. It is an uphill battle, and I wish I was closer to my parents these past two years instead of only now that I live right down the hallway from them.

I promoted a person who really should not have been promoted. I was feeling pushed to fill a position to relieve the work load of other members of the team and to ensure customer support. The person promoted had been very vocal in wanting a change and more responsibility. In the long run this mistake hasn't benefited anyone and we now have an employee who can't carry the workload or level of performance expected for her position, so I still have personnel issues to deal with--just different ones. What did I learn? It may be better to have an empty slot than to have the slot filled with a person who can't make the grade.

I really don't think so, I did make mistakes but I am human and I tried really hard not to repeat them. I tried to enforce boundaries with people, take good care of both my physical and emotional needs, because no one else is going to do that for me

I gave up leadership of a playreading group I had organized three years ago, because I no longer felt much of an interest in it. The separation process was long-drawn out and sloppy--next time I would not try so hard to give excuses for "abandoning" the group--they were mostly attempts to convince people I was was not such a bad person. Thbis means next time I would not be so caught up in satisfying other people's ideas of me.

I wish I had done a better job of learning how to reconnect with my husband after several years of growing apart. I wish I could have more patience and understanding, and that I'd done a better job of expressing my concerns and lending a sympathic ear and shoulder. I learned that the love and friendship still exist but that the pain we've endured and caused one another has made for some bad habits. We need to move forward and try to regain the trust and our friendship.

I...damn. I know I could say, I could list out, fifty things that I could have done differently. Is this counterproductive? Is there something I wish I had done differently. Well, I've learned that doing things at the last minute leads to sloppy work below my capabilities. I undermine my efforts by procrastinating. I wish I had spent more time at the museum. I want to spend more time at school. Ok, I've got it. I wish I wouldn't have gained fat. It does not make my life better. In fact, feeling and living lean makes me live more lively.

I wish I had put my own fears and pride aside and given love a chance. I hope that I will get an opportunity to turn things around with this person, because he is amazing, or at the very least that I will never do the same mistake again.

I wanted to learn Modern Hebrew. I just couldn't seem to get started. I would have set aside a time, every day, for Hebrew study. Setting aside a regular time for study makes it a habit that keeps a person focused.

The major event this last year was my layoff. It took me a while to see the plus sides of unemployment. I'd like to think I'll be able to roll with the punches a little more easily in the future -- see the opportunity that comes with change a bit more quickly.

I wish I had looked harder to find full-time work. I held out b/c I wanted to find a more "perfect" job - not just a "job" to earn money. Now I'm regretting that a little b/c of our lack of money in our family. From this decision, I want to learn to not fear money, to know that I may not love my job but that the stress that comes with not working really wouldn't exist if I had a job. I still have other non-work related activities that bring meaning and joy to my life!

i wish i hadn't been so stressed with my staff. i'd managed my anxiety better, get more sleep, drink more water and tired my hardest not to get caught in the negative stories or predictions about the future.

So many things. Where to start? I wish I'd cared for myself a bit more, eating better, exercising, just walking to clear my head. That is my resolution for this year. And I want to find a way to communicate with my children that is less ranty and more communicative. The year has started well and I really want it to continue that way.

I regret the hundreds of times I responded in haste, was mean and petty, too busy to help, stubborn, carried away by rage or anxiety. I'm still learning to breathe, prepare, reflect.

I wish that I had been more communicative with my partner and trusted him more fully to understand my feelings/needs/wants/etc. and to care about them.

I have no self-discipline. I wish I was more strict with myself when it came to doing things that would make me a better person -- for example REALLY stop smoking, stop drinking so much, stop making plans every night of the work-week, schedule more yoga time, schedule in more time to write and take photographs. I also wish I was strong enough to cut the people whom I know are not good for me, out of my life. I am too lax with myself, and I let the line blur. I need to make concrete decisions and stick to them. I realize now how all of these things have added stress to my life, and I am going to set specific schedules for myself and try every day to keep to it -- because at this point, I think I have to.

this year we built a house. to clarify, we took our little house and made it really big. without a doubt the largest undertaking thus far in my life and unfortunately NOT something that i could recommend as a positive experience to others. my regret lies in the way i prepared for this dramatic change, the way i transitioned my "new life in the house" and most importantly the way i dealt with our g.c.... it is almost too painful to realize all the mistakes, so i will limit my response to say that i should have had more control. and i should have yelled louder about the things that were worthy of yelling. and i should have known when to say when (there are many that could have finished it). but i kept trying to be positive, give him the benefit of the doubt, and just grin and bear it. i thought it was the kind thing to do; turns out it was the stupid thing to do. my concern is how it looked to my wife, our friends, my family - i mean, for god's sake, i am an architect and a construction manager! in the future, i need to remember that i know what i know and that my gut is smarter than my heart.

On the job, I got frustrated if not praised for a job well done. I now realize that the only one who needs to feel that I've done well is me. By waiting for praise when I knew it was not likely to come, I held myself back. The following quote nicely sums up the approach I need to take in the future: "It's amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn't matter who gets the credit." In my volunteer work now, I get thanks but not all the time. It's okay though because I'm so satisfied with the work I do and the help I give that I don't need to be validated like I did before. I think I finally understand the concept of "Virtue is its own reward" and it feels great.

I wish I had entered college with a different attitude. Now I feel like people judge me for who I was trying to be, not who I am. I am working on not judging others by appearances and focusing on who they are as a person. Maybe then I can make some true friends who are loyal and fun.

I don't want to have any regrets. College is a time for learning about yourself and what you're capable of. I may have bitten off more than I could chew, I may have made some bad decisions. But I don't regret any of them. Without them, I wouldn't be the person that I am today.

I've spent years getting a doctorate in psychology. This year I relinquished a training position for the opportunity to go on staff (A real job! In this economy!) at a hospital. I wish I had waited. My truth is that I have been struggling to create the organization and stability in my life that allows me to perform well in work that I greatly value. And I wasn't ready, I'm not ready. It's a shark tank and I am spending most of my time learning how to navigate an ailing structure instead of helping ailing clients. I think the lesson is to listen to myself, forget "the right way" to do things and follow my own lead. And right now, that means stop feeling like a victim and lead myself, swim ahead of the sharks.

I regret using a good friend's bachelorette party as an excuse to kiss other boys who are not my husband. Totally not worth it; should have just enjoyed my time with the ladies instead.

I wish I had taken more of an initiative to take my real estate exam. My plan is to do it before I leave from maternity leave.

I wish I had completed my Dissertation, or at least my prospectus. I need to relearn how to persevere when things are difficult, since with children, there is always something else that needs to be done.

I wish I would have been more patient with life. I was so focused on the future, that I forgot the present. This year, I want to concentrate on balancing my goals with my daily actions.

I would have finally solved my penchant for laziness and low productivity.

Not really. At my age (66) I think I have learned quite a bit about life and issues, and believe I know how to handle what the world throws at me (most of the time).

I get really into something, and then let it go...and that's a pattern that repeats quite a bit. I may come back to it, but it takes so long for any project to come to completion that way. I'm a freelancer, and I've struggled for years with keeping momentum, discipline, and goals. Sometimes I write goals and affirmations down and really focus on them...for a period of time. I've learned that I personally need that focus consistently in order to feel a sense of accomplishment. So moving forward, I can develop better habits, and set schedules for myself. I can commit.

Um, not really, you have to do things to get to the next place, so even if theoretically I would have done it different now, it is hard to say that now. Sometimes i find it hard to remember that once i've spilled my guts i can't take it back, but it's only mine until i say it.

I'm sorry I haven't returned phone calls from friends and family. Although I want to be left alone, it's not fair to those who care about me not to let them know I'm okay.

I don't know where to begin this one. My autism led to lots of bad decisions regarding people. It probably led to a failed interview even though the verbal part went well. I'm trying to get a social intelligence coach at work and looking for adult social skills training. The former is not institutionalized at work, but may be available from the government (my employer). I've joined a local group of adults with autism through which I hope to find the latter.

I would have put things into perspective more often: taken a step back and realize where I stood, how long id likely be there in that place, why I was there. I could have thus been more patient, more other-focused without feeling threatened, trusting in where I might be in the future, and overall more joyful, relaxed, and grateful for my present past and future.

I want to believe that everything happens for a reason. That being said, there are always things to improve, and I know there are major things I need to work on. I think what I'd have done differently is to not let other people get me down as much. To say what I'm thinking. I think that's when I'm usually happiest. In the future, I think it would also be best for me to reach out more, to family especially. I'm happiest having the people I love behind me. And I know my parents are happiest having me as an active part in their lives. I hope that is something I can continue in the coming year, no matter where life, love, liberty, work, and the pursuit of happiness bring me.

I wish I had spent less time feeling sorry for myself when I wasn't working, and more time being productive. I am actually very productive when I have a specific goal in mind, but completely unstructured time destroys me. If I am ever in these circumstances again, I hope that I can figure out a way to set some short term goals and achieve them, while also appreciating unstructured time as a gift.

i wish i had been more focused and procrastinated less. time flies and i think i lost the chance for some opportunities due to procrastinating...

I wish I would've worked a little harder, that way I could've had more money saved for vacations. As soon as I'm done with school, I want to work more in order to save and go on trips. I don't care about owning too much, just as long as I can experience things.

I wish that I hadn't thrown myself so heavily into an older group of friends (aka theater) as a freshman. I ended up missing out on a lot of the inter-freshman bonding that only goes on the first year and then sort of disappears. As a result, most of my friends are abroad and I feel like I'm lacking a core group of friends my age. If I had to go back I wouldn't have limited myself to theater parties and events and gotten consumed with the social scene. I would've pushed myself out of my comfort zone and worked harder to make friends outside of theater. I'm just now realizing my mistakes and trying to figure out how to learn from them and reform my social circle. I'm trying to join new groups and am throwing myself into my editing position with Outbreath, trying to create social events to both provide for the freshmen what I lacked and to make new friends myself. I just need to continue pushing myself to go to parties where I don't know people and to try to make as many new friends as possible. I also need to remember that I do have a few amazing friends here that I shouldn't discount. It's a matter of integrating new spices into the old, familiar (sort of scant) mix. And I'm ready. (Oh, and in a year if I read this and haven't accomplished this goal, don't get down on yourself, Em. Because your friends love you and if they happen to be older and in theater, that's not a result of a series of mistakes. It's just the way things played out. )

There are a lot of things I wish I could have done differently. But most of the time I think I did the best I could or was capable of given the circumstances and the fact that I could not find find my future- predicting crystal ball. I have to believe that sometime down the road, the reason for why things happened the way they did will become clear. I do sometimes wonder if I will ever feel like I'm controling the direction of my life instead of reacting to the decisions and actions of everyone I care about. But on the other hand, I'm grateful that I have people in my life that I care about enough to live my life for.

I wish I had taken my Recovery more seriously as opposed to thinking about the person I was in a relationship with. I had experienced such anger and remorse at myself over my relapse, I had not even considered that she had a part to play in many things which were not healthy for me. Now I need a relationship with myself first - and if there is to be a relationship with anyone in the future - I think empathy (not just for me but for others) needs to be the first and foremost quality that person must have.

I wish I been more vigilant at keeping my mouth shut when my unbiased support would have been the more loving response. Generally speaking, doing so would make me a better listener and more valued friend. The instance I regret the most --hurting my daughters (especially Mika) during our Girls’ Retreat. I became too personally involved instead of offering my support from a more detached perspective. Though the situation involved their present lives, it involved only my history – my own story was not crucial to the moment. Once I felt my own ego triggered I should have excused myself from the conversation, or at least seen that as an indicator to provide lovingness in more silent ways – perhaps reaching for a hand, or giving a silent hug. I want to try this moving forward and will rely less on my words, more on my actions (though this will certainly be easier when face-to-face!)

No regrets on specific courses of action. Just general behavioural aspects of myself I would want to change. One, I regret slandering a bit too much, Lashon hara. Two, think more of others. Three, think more positively. Is hard to implement...

Masturbate less, have sex with my wife more. Sounds stupid, and it is, but it's true.

I wish I had found a therapist to help me deal with some traumatic events the year before. I'm working to find one now...

I wish I had had the courage to speak out more directly about things that troubled me to people with whom I was in conflict. I've been involved in nonviolent communication for the past year and I feel more able to communicate some of these things in a way that honors both my own feelings and those of the receiving party. I also feel a new understanding and acceptance of others' differences, so oftentimes conflict isn't an issue anymore.

I wish I had studied Jewish texts more diligently. I would have studied more and not spent time on less serious things. I can learn from it by studying more.

I wish that I had spent more time at home when Rachel had the flu. It was really upsetting for her that I couldn't be there. I need to work harder to be in the present and to interact with my family, rather than vegging out with a book or TV. I know that it is a sign that my depression isn't being well controlled that I don't have the energy to engage with those in person, as well as on the phone, but I need to make more of an effort.

I think everything happened the way it had to happen.

No... I seek to focus on the present, and not to dwell upon the past. Ergo, since whatever I did or did not do in the last year I cannot change - and it is pointless to rehash it - I surround myself with the powerful intention to create in this moment the very best me, the very best energy I can flow and the very best outcomes for everyone and everything with whom or what I come in contact.

Not too many things didn't work out for me in the past year. I wish I had paid attention more to the signals my back was giving me so that perhaps I could have prevented my herniated disk and the months of pain that resulted.

I wish that, in this past year and in most others, I had taken the time to enjoy the present, instead of looking to the future. Now that the future is the present, however, I am trying to savor each day as it comes.

No ... nothing. I feel good about my decisions, and those that weren't the "best" were the ones that helped me grow the most.

I wish I could have have more will power to follow my diet! Also, I need to respect everyone for being individual and know that not everyone chooses the same path as me. I shouldn't judge people until I get to know them.

I spent 10 months wallowing in a problem, instead of expending that energy to find a solution. I wish I had discussed the realities of the problem with the people close to me, instead of putting on a brave face. I know now to say I'm floundering, I need help.

I wish I took more time to read and journal my thoughts. I should have made the time, but filled it with "things" that weren't so important. I can make plans for next summer, when I will have more time available.

I believe this past year has been very productive. I've gone through a lot of maturation and overcome fears and doubts. I feel much better about myself and I hope I can only continue to grow from here.

SURE, I WISH I EXERCISED REGULARLY AND HOPE TO EXERCISE ON A MORE REGULAR BASIS THIS YEAR. OTHERWISE, I THINK THIS YEAR - I HANDLED MY LIFE WITH ITS UPS AND DOWNS AS WELL AS I COULD. I ASKED FOR HELP WHEN I NEEDED IT........ I TRIED TO STAY POSITIVE AND LIVE EACH DAY AND ENJOY EACH DAY.

JANUARY 23rd. I am so sorry I hurt you. You are one of the most wonderful people I have ever met, but I realized I am not in love with you. If I would have gotten on that plane, i would have been lying to you and myself. And, I was done with lying. You deserve better than that, and you will find something better than that.

I don't have one specific thing I would have done differently. However, this year I would like to lead a more stress-free lifestyle and have more time to enjoy life while accomplishing my goals.

Many many things, to start with I would have taken more pictures, created a specific savings plan, not burned bridges, given better gifts, taken more time with my website, networked more, created more heartfelt compliments and smiles, ingest less caffeine and had more heart to heart talks with the wiser people in my life. I appreciate the lessons and results for this past year but in my emerging hindsight I see several instances I could have put to practice all that I learned and experienced. I should have been more patient and enjoyed the divine unfolding of my blessed life.

This past year I converted to Judiasm. I would have converted sooner but I doubted my intentions. Now ,one year later I know I made the right decision. The most important thing that I have learned from my decision to convert is that my idenity as a jew has not changed me as a person. But it has made me a more caring individual.

I wish I had been more careful with my finances when I moved. I tend to be reactive rather than proactive about budgeting—rather than saying "Money will be tight next month; I'll limit my spending now" I tend to wait until I notice I'm running low on cash and then drastically restrict my spending out of necessity. I want to start actually using my budgeting tools now.

if i could go back and changes things, i would have been more careful in getting involved in a friendship that i had reservations about in the first place. i feel like i have learned an amazing amount this year about my instincts and my boundaries with regards to other people. i plan on listening to those instincts more from now on, and continuing to set safe and comfortable boundaries for myself without feeling guilty or second-guessing myself.

Oh, there are always many small things I wish I had done differently, especially in the way I react to stress or when I'm exasperated. Patience is still something I need much work on - for the sake of my family as well as myself. In my faith life, there are also many times I could have put more faith in how God would give direction to my life. Again, it is patience that would make the difference.

There are 2 issues that stand out here. The first is that I wish I had been more available to both my daughter and my boyfriend when he moved in, rather than retreated in an attempt to protect some time for myself. The second is wishing I had carved out more vacation time this summer. Just writing these words helps me to see how these issues are related. I need to get clearer about time directly in relation and time to myself and rather than put these ways of being in opposition I need to draw a membrane around them both as complementary.

I don't believe in regrets - make your decisions carefully so that you always know you made the best choice at that moment. That being said - we can all still improve things for the future. I'm going to try to be more active - get outside more - not make excuses and make every day a memorable day.

I wish I had gotten myself more motivated to write - on several projects. I don't really understand why the motivation wasn't there, but I just let it sit there and consume me - I was really in denial or something like it. Now I am motivated and I want to stay motivated and I want to accomplish - but without being too hard on myself. What's is the balance between work, home, creativity, action, rest, and not blaming yourself, but at the same time pushing yourself? I'm still trying to figure that out and maybe I will this year...

There is nothing I wish I did differently. Living a life wishing things had gone differently is not productive.

I wish I had learned to take care of myself and to be honest with my partner. I could have spoken up, I could have taken steps to make things better, I could have been honest with myself and her. I am taking this year to be single and to figure myself out. I still love her.

I wish that I had been better at combining my new relationship and my old friends. I really dove into my relationship and my boyfriend lived about 30mins away from my house, so I spent a lot of time commuting to his place and then sleeping over. So geographically I wasn't close to my old friends any more and they stopped inviting me to spur of the moment stuff because they knew it would take me a while to get there.

I wish I had worried less, and accomplished more. Procrastinated less, and planned ahead more thoroughly. Every year, I wish that I hadn't let the year pass me by - so I can try to activate that distasteful feeling every time I feel sluggish and lazy. I could always do better, always be a better version of myself - all I can do is push forward in this New Year and make positive change in my life.

I wish I had done a better job keeping in touch with my brothers. I should be closer to them. I am the oldest, so I feel that it falls to me to reach out--and I have consistently failed at that. Neither are big Facebookers (or emailers, come to think of it), but there are other ways to get around that. Phone call, a letter. A postcard or a birthday card or SOMEthing. Anything.

I wish I could have found a job sooner, and I wish we had looked around more before we moved where we are. We are so far away from a community that it's hard to find one to be a part of. Other than that I am pretty happy with how things are.

I wish I had taken my daughter to New York with me this summer and given her a break from her boyfriend. She wouldn't have been able to go to summer school, but we could have worked something out about that. I also wish I had not taken my younger daughter to get her hair cut before her bat mitzvah. It didn't turn out well.

I wish that I had taken more time to take care of myself. I could have worked harder at carving out time to exercise, get pedicures, visit with friends and not have everything relate to work or volunteer work. Maybe I am running away from things making my life so busy. I think the only way to improve it in the future is to have good and honest conversations with my husband about the life we want to lead and build the amount of time spent on other things from there.

I sold my house as a "short sale," which means that one of my lenders got screwed. I am not sure that I had a choice, but I know that I did not think about it as long as I should have before agreeing to it: everyone was just so enthusiastic about the idea--even the bank losing the money--that I just went with the flow. What did I learn? Watch out for everyone saying "Yes" to an idea you haven't thought all the way through.

I had a resolution to stay in better touch with friends and family. I even bought myself some new stationary to encourage myself. I was better in some aspects but not in others. This year that is still my goal with an emphasis on hand written notes to those who haven't heard from me in a long time and to use skype more to talk to those really far away. I have already started and I hope it continues. I need to put my fondness for fancy paper and writing tools to good use. And to spend more time face to face with those that are close.

I would have kept up a regular meditation practice.

I wish I would have bought those season football tickets after the 3rd Michigan win in a row. GO BLUE!!

Gotten rid of my baggage. I finally did!

Looked more to the future. This past year I just buried my head and tried to make it through another year in a job that I know is not what I want to do when I grow up. I settled for the Velvet Coffin of nice colleagues, good benefits, an easy commute, etc., instead or starting the process of figuring out what's next, looking forward, dreaming.

I would have been a better advocate for myself. I let people take advantage of me and mistreat me; I rarely stood up for myself when it was truly bothering me because I was afraid they would not want me to be part of their lives. I learned that I have more to gain than to lose by standing up for myself and if these people push me out of their lives, they weren't worth it in the first place.

I wish I would have filed for Child Support while I was finalizing the divorce paperwork. I can learn from this mistake by asking more questions sooner. I should have known it would take a while to have gotten my work done - didn't know there needed to be extra filing for this. Perhaps my attorney should have let me know though. We move on though. There are 10 days left till everything is final.

Be more organized at home and in the office. Be more disciplined regarding eating habits and exercise. The most likely way to achieve success regarding these objectives would be to sharpen my focus to keep myself on track.

I should have hired babysitters more when I needed them, and not have waited for exhaustion to convince me that I needed a rest. When I'm not at my best, I'm not as good a mother.

I wish I had spent more time with my family. I always wish that, and it is the biggest change I need to make in the upcoming year. Time is of the essence, always... I need to not regret this again.

I have made a conscious decision to not look backward. When i make a decision, I now try to look stubbornly forward and make the best of what I chose and what I was given.

I took on projects and didn't always follow through 100%. In some cases I lost interest or did the work in a sloppy way...next year I want to complete my commitments (not undercommit but not overcommit) & challenge myself to focus as much on follow through as on initiating - which is my natural strength.

I wish I had not been as much work drama as i had been. i also wish i had some more personal time. i don''t know how i could have done things differently i just have to watch my mouth more, as well as my emotions.

I wish I had taken more time out for spiritual growth and centering. I always want to start and keep a strong meditation practice. Somehow time and life always get in the way. I hope to integrate more personal spiritual growth into my new year. I also wish I spent more time with my friends. The craziness of life and kids has kept me so busy that in my downtime I just decompress. I think I need to schedule these things and find friends to partner and help motivate me.

I'm really proud of my work, but I know it could be even better if I gave it the time it deserves. Like really, really the time it deserves. I coast by too much. My "just enough" kicks a lot of ass, so I don't often stretch towards real excellence. I'd like to get there next year.

I wish I would have made more of an effort to find a girlfriend. Wish I would have worked less and been more social. And that I would have tried harder to do the things I know I should be doing - like staying organized, getting up early every day, exercising, making plans and sticking to them. Also, I wish I had traveled more, changed jobs and/or gone to grad school.

i wish i had made it home more. i missed passover for the first time ever--because of work--and it just wasn't worth it.

I wish I paid more attention to some of the cute little things that my children have done. I want to remember to stop and laugh, just enjoy.

I wish I had spent less time panicking, less time staring into space like a stunned ox, less time deliberately wasting time, less time giving in to my anxiety and depression. I wish I had taken more action. I might not have done anything differently, because I know my nature. If I had been married--especially if I'd been married for a long time to the same person--I might have behaved better. But that's a lesson learnt too late.

I kind of wish I'd opened my heart a little more. I'd like to think I can find a great relationship with someone genuine although it seems that there are a lot of not-so-genuine people 'on the market'. Lesson to learn... can you say background check?

I wish I hadn't worried so much about things that were not in my control. I will try to be more realistic about my life and try to gain some peace in trusting other people's abilities. I will try not to control the outcomes of events.

I am very happy with my life this year. I am so happy to be going to Nursing school. I really need to buckle down and work hard, though. I need to study a little bit each day. By working hard for this next year and a half, I will have the career of my dreams.

This year I feel like I accomplished a lot and grew positively as a person. I feel more confident about who I am and have faced many challenging situation which have tested my character, ethics, and personality. However, I continued to struggle with my addiction to over eating. From January-May I was able to maintain a lifestyle which included regular exercise and diet. However (as I always seem to) after lots of hard work, I was presented with a difficult problem and I went back to food for comfort. It is very disheartening to feel as though I have let myself down. To work so hard only to find the problem is still there, fitness slips away, and the pound pack back on. My addiction makes me feel weak. I wish I respected myself and the seriousness of this addiction enough to not let myself get caught, once again in the 'just one more day' 'I'll start tomorrow' web of excuses. I am hoping a new year will inspire a new way of treating my body, a new relationship with food, a stricter code which does not allow for excuses and procrastination -- a new approach to dealing with this addiction.

I sunk into bouts of self-loathing every time something wasn't working out right off the bat. I wish I would have just plugged along--I mean, stopped first and said "well Chotzinoff, what you are feeling now is discomfort, and you know what, it will pass," instead of having a nervous breakdown and spending all my energy telling myself I suck. In the future, I can call it like I see it and find out I can stand it without having to follow up with some award-winning negativity.

I wish I had have more determination on persuing the goals I had set the year prior. procrastination is not the best for you. a frequent question came to my mind: "If not now, When?" That helped me to get to 5770

I wish I'd had more confidence and made better use of my time- Despite always feeling overloaded and overburdened, I know I still procrastinate and waste much of the precious time that goes by faster and faster as one gets older...I've only recently learned that, some of my procrastination is a lack of self-confidence, even at my age! I hope all of these areas will progress in 5770...

This past year there are a coupel of things I wish I had done differently. Number one is that I wish I had saved more money. I saved $100 over the course of the year - and I made close to 30k. That's pretty low. I think I would try to save 5% of each check - and in the future I will set up my account to automatically take 5% of each check and put it in the savings account. The other thing I wish I had done differently this past year is treated my mom better. I would like to be more tolerant of her - and not react when she gets excited, rather I would like to be able to stay calm and let her be who she is.

Be more assertive at work and stand up for my rights. Would not let people who are bullies try and intimidate me. Make sure that I am doing my best, work to my best potential and not let others demean me.

Despite not having any regret with the way my life has unraveled so far, I wish I had been more attentive in my preparation for a trip to Europe. I desperately want to go there to be more accepted as an artist and free-explorer of my art form, but I didn't plan early, or well enough that I was only able to attend one city in Germany for a weekend. I hope that this time, I can plan accordingly, with places to go laid out, understandings of the cities, and enough money saved up so that I can really achieve my dream of being in these places.

I can hardly believe I'm saying this because it's truly a value I've always tried to keep at the top of my priority list---but---I wish that I had spent more INTENTIONAL time with my teenager---even if he was pushing me away! I feel I cannot recapture those lost afternoons or evenings, and I worry that it could lead to his lasting memory of me. How to learn for improvement? That's EASY! Just do it---with intention and purpose and MAKE the time (because you never "FIND" the time!)

I would have invested my money more wisely. Maybe I would have started an IRA. In the future, I will try to be smarter about money to create lasting wealth -- so that I can pay off my student loans, buy a house and invest for children and retirement.

Yes, I wish I had rededicated self to finishing my novel. Most of my friends think that when I say "I write" I mean suicide notes or kiss off letters. I am terrified to commit anything to paper. I think real writers actually sit at a table or desk and write every day, even if most of the effort is just tossed into trash.

I spent a lot of time complaining about my job. A LOT of time. I spent much less time actually attempting to better my situation. Maybe some of this was because I knew, deep down, that I wasn't ready to leave it yet, even when I hated it - but I didn't look as hard as I could for a new job, I didn't apply for as many as I should've, I didn't do nearly enough to try to change my life for the better. Next year, I vow not to do so much wallowing.

I let my eldest daughter's bad moods, and my own, draw me into stupid arguments with her. I don't want to do that anymore. There is only so much time, only so many moments I will have with her, and I want to be there for her, be solid, at least one thing she can count on. I am learning to avoid those silly little disagreements and irritations that just grow into big ones, and just to let things go, becasue I am her father, and she just needs me to love her.

I wish I'd taken better care of this incredible body that has done so much for me; taking care of my mom when she was ill, carried my baby for nine miraculous months, hiked mountains, swam oceans, ran miles........ And I kept making excuses, putting so many things ahead of my health, when it is my health that could very well be my greatest gift to my loved ones. I need to find the time, strike that balance, and treat myself, my body, with respect.

I would have worked much harder to pay off a friend of mine. I would have worked much harder at finding a second job, like as if my life depended on it. I can mostly learn by not mixing business with pleasure. Also, not borrowing money unless you have a firm exit strategy.

Taken more advantage of the teaching moments I had with my children. I relize I only have a short amount of time to teach them and have missed alot. Also to be a better example myself and that means some measureable progress needs to be made.I have asked forgiveness from God from squandering the time and awsome responsibility he had given me and hope there will be ample opportunity in the future.

I wish I would have taken my mental health and quality of life issues more seriously. I wish I would have been more diligent, consistent, and tenacious in attacking my demons. I can learn from this experience by observing how I'm not where I want to be mental health wise and realizing that I will never get there unless I put the work in that is needed.

I should have been more loyal to my own feelings. I knew that I should not have become physically involved with someone before I trusted the strength of our emotional bond. I wanted our connection to be strong, but I knew it wasn't strong enough to move forward. I moved anyway, thinking.... hoping that the emotions would catch-up. They didn't. If I know I want an attachment with someone, I will wait 'till it's there to move forward.

Not one thing. I did the best that I could with where I was at the time. And each choice led me to reach where I am today which is exactly where I should be. I stumbled, I fell, I triumphed, I stalled, but I was present and aware of my intention in each one of those moments which was always, how can I be kind to both myself and others in harmony while striving to be a better me.

On the one hand I have no regrets, I know that everything has and is happening for a reason. But on the other hand, I regret everything. I regret staying for years in a relationship that I knew was wrong, I regret making the person I truly loved wait for me, I regret telling him not to wait for me, and I regret that now he is gone. If I could change it all would I? Trying my best to go with the first hand and look to a future without lies, without drama.

I would have gone on more dates. This year I've become increasingly more introspective and I fear I'm not learning as much as I could from other people. About once a month my heart breaks at the thought of my romantic loneliness. I need to change a few things about me so I'll have the confidence to find love.

I wish I'd sorted out my dissertation research earlier; I had all the best intentions but slacked off during the early part of the summer. In the future, should I ever do a degree again (ha!), I'll have to remember to do a little work each day, even if it's just two or three hours in the library or looking up articles online.

i wish i would have worked harder while at college to have a romantic relationship because that's when it's easiest to have one.

I wish I had done more to improve myself and pounce on opportunities every minute of the day. Self-discovery and creating opportunities for oneself should never stop; lazing around waiting for things to come will only bring so much into one's life. I can learn the valuable lesson that as long as I have given 100% of myself and pushed myself to my limits, and there is nothing more that could be done to chase any particular goal or improve any particular situation, then I have done enough.

Not a thing. I have now just given birth 4 days ago and would not change a single thing...

In 2008 I wish I hadn't married. I wish I had listened to my instincts and not been afraid to act on them. But the things that were not good for me to have done (worked too much, over-committed to projects, etc) led me to the place that I am at now. And now I am re-gaining control of my life and moving myself in the right direction.

I wish I had exercised more and seen more sunrises. Also, I never got a chance to visit Cuttyhunk. I now realize that rising earlier and exercising before breakfast is a great motivator .... and I'll be able to catch a few more sunrises. As for Cuttyhunk, it's "next" on my agenda.

where do i begin? I wish i had gotten healthier, physically. i wish i could just start eating right, excersizing everyday. a personal trainer would be amazing, but out of my monetary range. i wish i had started stock trading, to get me in that swing of things. i wish i had dated many more girls that i did. all those maybes amounted to nothing. i wish i had studied hebrew more in preparation for leaving for israel on a gap year program.

I was too brash and made myself vulnerable without thinking about the consequences of what I was doing. I need to step back and think about all the people who may be affected by my actions and who I could hurt by doing them. Most of all I need to examine why I have such impulsive spurts, and take my time. Learned not to trust people so quickly, and measure up the situation well before jumping into a position of something.

Two things again: I would have completed that unfinished article, and I would have done more dancing. From writing, I get such a great sense of accomplishment even before publishing -- and that's a great feeling too, which of course can't happen without the actual doing. From dancing, I get such joy, and yet I use my bad knee as an excuse to avoid it. These might seem like very different things, but the heart of the matter is the same. I keep myself from doing what I get pleasure from. Whenever, for whatever reason, I'm able to break through the barriers I set up, it's all wonderful. The first trick -- and it's hardly that -- is a regular schedule: sit down every day at the desk (cleared of the clutter that now makes it impossible to use the surface) and write. For the second, the "trick" is even easier: get up, get dressed, get out, and go dancing. I've been struggling with not doing for years, being always surprised at how much I accomplish despite but always know how much more there could be. I don't know that I know any better now how to do instead.

I wish i didn't have that margarita. No more margaritas.

I wish I would have kept in touch with my girlfriends a bit more. When jobs, boyfriends, traveling and life get in the way, it seems like the girlfriends are the first thing that go, but in reality they are a very important part of a fulfilling life. I hope to make more effort in the upcoming year to keep my relationships with them solid and healthy.

I wish I had focused on my schoolwork a little more, and a little less on my social life. I think for the future, i will know that schoolwork is more important in the first place,and socializing is too much work, and take my academics a lot more seriously.

I would have been meaner to my children. Sterner. I am already stern but the outside world creates many outlets for them that I cannot quite abide.

I wish that I was better about keeping in touch with my friends this past year. I was somewhat overwhelmed with school and getting everything done. I hope that I am better about calling and emailing my friends, but also make a better effort to keep in touch with my family as well.

I wish I had spent less time at my computer and more time outside. I wish on days like today, when the weather is nice, and my neck aches from peering crookedly down at the screen for hours on end, when I realise that the day is about to slip away from me and I will never get it back - I wish I had done what I hope I am about to do now, which is to stand up, turn my computer off and head outside for the rest of the day before it slips away forever.

I am not an unkind person, but sometimes I can be thoughtless of others. I was ending a relationship with someone that I'd been dating for a few months. I didn't treat him very well. I had met someone else at this point and didn't really care if we remained friends, but I said that we could... He really tried to remain friends. He kept calling and I would just ignore his calls. I wish that I had told him that it wouldn't work for us to remain friends and that I wished him the best. It is no fun to feel rejected, but I think that I made it sting more that I needed it to. I regret that.

I wish I had worked more. They say no one reflects on their life and says "I wish I worked more", but there it is. I like work. I wish I did more work I enjoy. I spent so much time worrying about myself, or worrying about work, that I didn't spend as much time working. Worrying can be helpful up to a point, but then it just becomes a complete waste of time.

I wish I had taken more time for myself. I can always find something that "needs to be done", even if it's browsing the internet. What I need to do is go for a walk for an hour a week, or at least get out of the house and sit in a park without any distractions. I need to feel like the world is bigger than my house and my laptop.

What I would have done differently was maybe instead of working and living in that shithole, Going to a kibbutz would have been better. Matric was good and I got good marks. So I wouldnt have done anything different there. And also being more open to ppl because everyone just wants to make friends. Just talk be open. In the future just being more open to people exactly how i sell the straighteners. Talk to everyone like that.

I would have traveled more on weekends in South America. When I am in the states I take advantage of every opportunity to learn, travel, and grow, but when I am there I become complacent and turn to what is easy, which was usually partying. I was hung over almost every sunday for 7 months. If I could do it over again I would have joined people who were traveling and have opened myself up to the possibility of befriending them, learning something from them, and even having a good time. I am working on not judging people so much because I now see that doing so only hurts me and limits the potential for my enjoyment.

I would have put more thought into saving money. Having several part time jobs makes it difficult to keep firm tabs on a budget, but if I were more focused it would have been possible. Then I'd have more dough to blow when I go to Berlin next month!

Reflect more on what is going on with me rather than just reacting emotionally.

Honestly, I think I did pretty well this year! It was my first year in the 'real world' after going straight through college and I like my job, my friends, and my life. I wish I wasn't still single but I don't think that's something I would/could have 'done differently.' I do wish I could be more committed to things outside work - whether it's working out, volunteering, or finding time for friends who I don't see often. But in general, I think I'm finding my way pretty well and hoping the missing pieces will keep falling into place in 5770!

I wish that I'd had more control of my emotions at work. I've learned the past few weeks to always keep my cool and to never show to my superiors or project managers that I am worried, stressed, miffed or angry. I just wish I'd done this from the start.

I wish I had brushed Jack more. He's full of knots and I feel like a bad cat mom.

I feel that budgeting is an issue for me. I feel that concentration is a serious issue that was never there before. But I am not addressing either of them well because sometimes I just feel overwhelmed and revert back to thinking I can take my own time and things will just magically work out. And they have. But I'm not handling things as quickly as I once did because things are building little by little and I'm falling behind. I wish I would just address more things at once. I also wish I had taken a more proactive role in convincing and facilitating for a relationship between my husband and his grandmother and one between myself and my estranged mother.

No, I wouldn't change anything this past year. Except maybe make more time for reading books.

I wish I haven't been so anxious and i have had the patience to think about the movement i have made, especially about my feelings and some dates.... I met some nice people, but i didn't give the change to meet them better and i gave my heart too fast. And it was a disaster....

I look at the last year and see the vestiges of a destructive lifestyle I can't abide by. Though I party better than I used to, never getting out of control, I still wasted time in large and terrifying amounts. I should have taken that time and put it into anything but distraction. Biking, reading, writing songs or making websites... I allowed my disenchantment with working to be an excuse for an inexcusable lack of action. That's not cool.

I wish I could remember to have more patience. Every day.

Yes there are a number of things I would have done differently this year. The biggest one was making a choice to be with the person that I truly loved but I did not act on it and now I have major regrets for not. It was a window of opportunity that she gave me so many opportunities. I however felt I was not in the right position to support that decision. I regret that it should have not been an issue and I should have let my heart and my soul be my guide

I am so glad I decided not to go to Israel. I feel like for the first time, I figured out how to make a choice that made it easier for me to be happy before it was too late. That WOULD have been a big regret, I think. I regret not being kinder to my parents at some points. I regret the lies I told them this summer for the sake of my relationship. I regret that I am so, so busy this fall already that I can see friendships, my fitness, and my mental-emotional well-being losing some of their priority. I wish I had not broken Julia's heart so badly. I would really like to avoid hurting people that badly in the future, and in order to do so, should probably just be more honest and not let relationships get to the point that that one came to. I regret the way things turned out with Jessie, and I hope my behavior towards Steph will lead to a less empty outcome. If it only ends up hurting me more, then hopefully next time I'll learn from that.

Focus, focus, focus on what's at hand, and get it done, and completed with integrity. The "why" of this seems simple: "do the best job I can" but actually what I found was that when I didn't focus and get the job done, the "not doing" leaked over into my time with family, with my time to care for myself, and with my time to share with friends. The "not doing" nagged me day and night.

I wish I had been better about saving money during what was a very flush time for me last fall and into the winter. After an extremely busy few months of work, things slowed down rapidly early in the year, and money was painfully tight for a while. If I had put more aside when I had it, I wouldn't have had to scramble like I did. This year I'm trying to be more mindful of what I spend and am trying to remember that $$ comes and goes in not-always-predictable ways.

I would have made more of an effort to maintain an imtimate relationship with my husband. I would like to make it more of a priority in the future

I would've spent more time figuring out how to spend more time writing for myself, as I can only seem to justify doing so when it comes to generating money. Not for enlightenment, not for enjoyment. I understand, however, that I can accomplish all three by doing this one thing. Maybe, writing in a journal for 60 days again would jump-start my writing habits. I'm hoping, just writing this one realization in this safe place will make this happen for me.

I wish I had continued to take art classes and finish my teaching certification even though my husband was not in favor. In the future, I will take time to meditate, care for others without worrying so much about pleasing them every second of the day, and try to complete all worthy tasks.

No.

no. todo obra para bien, y Adonai es mi camino y la verdad! Y yo estoy donde tengo que estar

I wish I had been less worried and anxious. I think I expend too much energy stressing over the "what ifs" and it distracts me from the beauty of each moment. A friend passed along a mantra to me recently that I want to carry with me each day this year..."I'll be happy until someone tells me to worry." To me, this means that unless I get an indication from someone who is truly qualified to judge that something is really wrong (health, job, family, etc), than I'm going to be happy!

I have learned that there are things I control and things I must accept. This year, I lost my father, my colleague and friend became critically ill, my mentor and boss resigned. I'm left picking up the pieces at work with energy I do not have. In all this I forgot about myself. While my environment was out of control, I failed to take control over that which I have ultimate command--myself. And so I am learning balance. Not balance within my life so much as balance between my needs and the needs of my environment.

In the year 2008, I learned that what I hope from people won't happen. I give people too much credit - I know that they are good, but it is a pathological thing for me to believe that they will understand me, as none do. What I learned is that I am a fighter, in law. I should become an attorney. My greatest accomplishment was getting straight with case law; I can read it and fully understand it, now, whereas that was not true in the past. Living with five different groups of people who were co-tenants was hell. Ground rules. If I had established ground rules I probably would not have secured a place to live. But without them, people ran rough shod. I learned more about me, that what ever it costs me personally in time, to make the money for exorbitant rent, I have to live alone. People don't match my intellect, interests or sensibilities. I have always known this and separated myself from those who are different from me because they brought me down. I could not relate to them. That was in high=school, early. Why do I think I can change this? I was coddled in Berkeley with so many scholars and geniuses abounding. Now I live in anti-Berkeley. My directive for the year is to go where people like myself reside, act, think, look and enjoy things. To do that I must push myself into environments, like the arts, no matter how inconvenient as a person of low income.

I wish I was present more. Awareness and being...living and treasuring the moment. I can improve things in the future by taking the time to focus on the now.

I would have not trusted the bank rep with $100,000.00 of my money in May 2008. I would have trusted my gut and held onto my cash. I would have not used up my nest egg to repair my house. I would have taken out an equity loan and used that instead. I would have not registered for my second term at grad school, because the extensive dental work was going to keep me so out of it, I wouldn't be able to see straight some days. I would have taken fewer courses. I would have loved more, laughed more and lived more:)

I wish I had thought ahead more about how I am perceived. I want people to see me as confident but also as "right". And I think that by acting and saying things in the heat of the moment without thinking I shot myself in the foot. Being confident and secure in yourself doesnt mean that you have to be arrogant or nasty or rude. I would really like to change the way I come accross sometimes and be more open and honest and much nicer.

I feel like I've made so many strides this year in so many ways. I suppose the one thing I could do better is to fully commit to things, especially to my career. The problem remains, however, that I'm not sure which career I really want to commit to. So I still float through my day to day work as a fair-to-middling scientist. I think I really could be damn good if I chose to be, but do I really want that?

I wish that I had helped a particular friend a little better. I feel like I let him down, but in the future I will be more diligent.

I would have liked to have handled the transition into motherhood with a little more grace. My husband and I fought a lot during the first few months, it would have been nice to have been on the same team, as opposed to fighting each other. Things are much better now though, so it was a learning experience.

I wish I had acted differently towards my son. I work very hard to keep him safe and healthy, but I do not do a very good job at controlling my emotions. I wish I had worked harder to find better ways to change his behavior.

i would have taken time to breathe more. i would have written more. i would have remembered what's important (my family- my well being) and not allow work to pull me under in stress & fixation. i can ritualize what i need- morning pages, exercise, love

I felt swept away by a relationship that sometimes very rewarding, and more often was difficult - but I kept hoping it would change. That she would change. But that was a bad setup, and I knew it. I was afraid of her temper and volatility, and didn't stand up for myself enough. I compromised myself. If it could be redone, I would have spent more time nurturing myself and making sure I was centered and together, rather than worrying about her or the relationship, and let that shift things.

I wish I had not picked fights with my wife, or risen to the fight when she picked it. I wish I had learned enough from 35 years of marriage and many years of psychotherapy to have mastered deflecting both the fight in me and the fight in her. I believe if I continue to increase the time I devote to being productive -- to working at writing, photography, and teaching -- I will move toward satisfaction, that I will get the love (from me) that I have longed for from her.

I did not trust myself enough or believe in myself. I was scared. I did not trust that I had the skills and wisdom to be in charge. I should have forced my perspective. It would have been so much better for everyone involved. I now know that I have what it takes to do my job and to lead.

I said "yes" and/or opened myself up to people who wanted to collaborate on projects with me before I really took time to understand and learn about their motivations. Then I had to pull back and it was uncomfortable for me. In the future I would like to undertake new collaborations more slowly and thoughtfully to see if they are a good fit for me and not be swayed by someone else's (and my own ) initial enthusiasm.

I wish I had been more careful about my weight. I sometimes feel fatter than ever, but I've never had time to take care of myself and of my diet habits.

I suppose I would not have taken up cab driving and gotten a different day job. Although it was an interesting experience overall, it hurt me more financially than I initially expected.

I wish I had had more fun. I love my family. I love my kids. I love my job. I should lighten up a little and let my joy with my life show more. It is definitely one of my goals for the coming year. Worry less. Laugh more. To hell with stress.

I wish I had managed the money situation in New Zealand in a way that would have got me money sooner. But I don't know how.

Still working on learning how to communicate with my mom....

When I try to think of something that I regret this year, nothing jumps out. This, to me, is an indicator that there is nothing I should change. Everything happens for a reason, and I'm sure there were MANY moments during the year that I had wished for a different outcome, but everything somehow worked out in the end. This is a lesson to me in the future to take things "one day at a time," as my motto says. Things happen, and spending all my time fretting and worrying about it is wasting my time.

I want to have more patience next year.. with the simple things. not to think dickishly when I'm hungry and under stress, not to have reflexively irritable answers to reasonable questions etc

I don't think that I have any regrets, I have a great job, good friends and family and I'm happy with where I'm living. I guess the only thing I would change is what I choose to do with my spare/idle time. I learned from Lior to live life to the fullest, yet I don't think that I am yet... how can I make the world a better place every moment of the day? That is how I need to live.

I wish I would have focused more on the positive and appreciated what I already had. I complained at work, I focused on the negative in my family and I travelled to keep things exiting. The travelling didn't work out as planned...in guatemala my travel companion got sick and in croatia I got sick. I wish I would have taken a day and spent it with my family without being anxious that I was missing out on something else. Complaining at work made people think I wasn't happy there when I was. Fighting with my family was a result of me focusing on the bad instead of enjoying how lucky I was to have them so close. My life is great and its even greater every time I remind myself of how great it is.

I wish I had spent less time worrying this year. I feel like I had a lot of really awesome things happened - I got engaged, I moved in with my fiance, my job has gone well, I took some great trips. But still I worried about things. I think it was just a lot of transition all at once...it really got my brain playing tricks on me!

Take time to connect with my family more. I am building a business and I often have my priorities lopsided. I usually wait until all my projects are caught up, then say now I am going to have some quality family time. It doesn't work that way, I've found that is the precise moment they don't want to connect. Yet, I have put them off all day when they wanted to. Recognizing those openings and putting the work on hold will be more fruitful.

I wish I had been kinder to my wife.

I wish I could somehow do my best at work without it impacting the level to which I take care of myself. I do balance things fairly well but I know I get so tired that I don't exercise and eat as I should during the week. I am aware during the summer months when things are not as hectic at work and I have some time off, how much better I feel.

I wish I got back into my workout routine. I keep talking myself out of...or shall I say, ignoring my healthy self needs. I know that being healthy and working out is a life committment, and if I fall off the rails (as I have) I can recommit. I think I may need some outside help. And, just do it.

You know, I can't live my life thinking about what i should have done. What's done is done. I believe to learn from what you have done & move froward. So no..I don't wish I had done anything differently in 2008

I need to start accepting responsibility for my future and understanding that planning ahead does not limit your opportunities and experiences but rather organizes them and allows you to take full advantages of said opportunities and others as they come along,

i actually had a very good year.. i did a lot of things i had been wanting to do, work is ok, and i just started going back to school.. my love life is probably the only area where i am unhappy.. i have trouble trusting people, and have always been careful about who i open up to.. 6 months ago, i opened my heart for the first time in 2 years and was hurt.. i don't regret doing it.. i actually think it woke me up and even though i might be a bit careful about who i let in, i am no longer afraid to try..

I wish that I had taken advantage of more opportunities. I held such a unique position in both my professional and personal lives, and I wish that I had more fully grasped those chances, ones that I don't think I will ever have again. I would have risked more, put aside my personal limitations and boundaries, met more people, said yes more (even if it would have made me a little more uncomfortable, a little less certain), and realized my potential. I think, now, that the more that we can take advantage of the strange, uncomfortable, uncertain, unstable, risky situations that are put before us, the more opportunity we have to grow. India itself was an incredible time of growth for me - but how much the more so, had I realized that we change only when we will ourselves to experience.

I would have worried less about things I can't control. I would have taken more time for myself.

I wish I would have been more proactive in my work environment - both in the sense of being assertive amongst my colleagues, and proactive in networking and looking for other opportunities. I can learn from it by looking at where I am - unhappy in my job with no real prospects for change or direction. With a bit more proactivity and assertiveness, I could be in a much better place.

I wish I had stayed in more shape. I feel like it would have helped me academically and physically in feeling better about myself.

I wish I consistently practiced Self-Love and Self-Care - on every level - from how I eat, exercise, to how I "pamper" myself to choices regarding the people I let into my heart. I need to schedule time for mySelf. Make Self-Love a priority over so many things... I need to be very very clear about boundaries and listen to my heart. If I listen to my body and to my heart, I will treat mySelf so much better...

I wish I'd focused more, and let myself be driven by fear less. I hope to push myself beyond my anxieties, and to live the wise advice I'm so good at giving those who come to me for aid.

I wish I had planned my budget and fall work schedule differently. By planning ahead for my bills (and TAXES) I would have been better prepared for how much work I would have to do now to make up for a slow summer. More marketing for the business in the new year!

I should have applied for Unemployment Insurance right away after I lost my job, but I was somewhat immobilized and waited, so I wasted about a month. I thought it would be retroactive to the day I got laid off. In terms of bureaucracy, I need to get more info about something like this so I know the rules. I wish I had done more quilting. I still haven't been doing any; and I have to figure out a way to get back into it.

I had unprotected sex once. I know better. So stupid of me, and now I have some worry and stress because of it that I easily could have avoided.

I wish I had pushed myself to work harder when I wasn't motivated and could get away with procrastinating. I put too much pressure on myself to be perfect, and it makes it hard to start anything. I also wish I had called Sarah again that weekend. Let it be a constant reminder that I should constantly express love to my favorite people, just in case I won't have another chance. Lastly, I wish I had thought more about others' perspectives before making selfish decisions.

I wish I hadn't spoken to my daughter-in-law's mother in such a personal way. I am worried about my son's young marriage and my daughter-in-law's intense realtionship with her mother. With Andee, I will be cordial, but not personal. I always have to be careful with how and what I say to my children...my voice often has more of an impact than I want.

I wish I had put more effort into being with my husband; spending more time together, being more intimate with one another. It is too easy to get consumed with my own day-to-day wants and needs that I often fail to tend to OUR needs.

I wish I hadn't dumped my boyfriend. I only did it for six hours, but it was factually the most ridiculous thing I have ever done in my life. However, I learned an incredibly valuable lesson (that I also found on a mug later on...and it's now my favorite mug!...) "Avoid making irrevocable decisions while hungry or tired." However, I learned how insanely precious my darling one is to me, and now I treasure every moment we spend together, as I know how fragile relationships can be when someone gets off a plane and decides to throw away her life out of pure, unadulterated fear.

At this point I can't think of or know of something I wish I had done differently. Every day this year I have been very intentional from little things to big. I may still look back and see something that makes me go, "Aww, man." But maybe not.

no, I don't want to change how I did things this past year. I just want to get on with the process ... of being a little more courageous, a little more adventurous, a little more kind, tolerant and forgiving. Moving in that direction will improve how things turn out in the future.

Where do I start with this one? Just one thing I wish I'd done differently????? Not eaten or drank so much. Not spent all that time on the computer. Prayed in the morning. Got more exercise. Although I think I need to focus on just one thing - otherwise it's too much. So what can that one thing be? Limit myself to one computer game / day? One drink / day? Limited snacks before dinner? No procrastinating? (at least I'm trying by not falling behind here)? I'll probably think of something else I should have done differently. How I can learn from it? TBD.

I wish I would have worked less on my job and more on things I want to do or spent more time focusing on my family. I particularly wish I had worked less when Lucas came to visit. He deserved more of my attention and I was not mentally present enough to him. I'm not sure how I could have done it differently, without frustrating others. At the same time, I was so busy that I think I frustrated others by not being available, so I'm probably not helping anyone. The only way I think I can improve it is by once and for all committing to tracking my responsibilities, estimating their time and putting a limit on how much time I will spend. I think I just need to be clear, tough and consistent. I also need to stop turning to work because it is easier than going after personal goals that may be harder to achieve, with less recognition...

A common pitfall of mine, I can sometimes get tunnel vision in the sense that I get so focused on doing something, or completing a certain task really well... that of course, i miss opportunities along the way. I think that in terms of work, i became tunnel visioned 1) in the way i was working, i would sometimes delve so deep into the details of the tasks i had at hand, that the overall goals i had for the youth program would at times feel distant and foggy, and 2) I concentrated so much on work, that my personal life really suffered. I really had no personal life! In this sense, I feel like i lost a big part of "me" and sight of "WHO I AM" And of course my relationship with my partner inherently suffered...I also needed to emphasize just HAVING FUN! a lot more...I want to CELEBRATE this life!

I wish I would have stayed more focused on my job search when I was in the middle of it last year. I let myself get overwhelmed and I completely shut down. This time around I am going to stay the course. I refuse to let myself get intimidated by the job search. I will set realistic goals and strive to achieve them. My time line is to stay at my current job till the end of the year. By January I need to have a new job waiting for me. I need to achieve this goal because my self-worth is more than working a minimum wage job. I want to strive for something better so that I can make some dreams of mine come true.

You know, I really don't know... things are so intertwined that, who's to say that, if I had done something differently to make things "better", something else would have ended up worse? Sometimes I wish I hadn't bought my apartment... that instead, I had worked on my relationship instead of moving out. But, who's to say things would have worked out? At least now I have a home base from which I can branch out however I want. Honestly, in spite of all the relationship drama, I feel I've had a pretty good year in terms of personal growth. And that's the most important thing, I think. Everything else will follow naturally.

I wish I was more social in college and realize how it was all lack to the faux self confidence.

Amazingly, I can't think of any large, broad thing I wish I had done differently this past year. It's not that I have everything the way I want it to be. I've been working on and continue to work on important changes and growth I'm seeking in a number of areas. But overall I don't have any significant regrets -- except this one: I wish I had visited my friend S., when she was in the hospital and rehab (after breaking her ankle) more than I did. That was important, and it did hurt our friendship. Luckily it is such a deep friendship that we were able to talk that through, and our friendship is still intact, strong, deep, and loving. I regret that I hurt her in that way. And I'm doing better being in touch with and seeing her more this year while she's recovering from a surgery. It's a very, very important friendship. We've been friends for 32 years(!) and we've been very, very close for most of those years and have worked through many issues and conflicts in that time, much like a married couple might.

I wish I had talked with my friends more, especially after we moved. It would be nice to have them know what's going on and to share. I'll make an effort, especially these 10 days to try to start again.

I wish that I had been more thoughtful and planful regarding my family's finances. Right now we are in a very tight situation, living month to month with very little wiggle room. We are going to try to right-size our spending based on our income and fixed expenses. We are going to spend on what matters most, not spend on things that are not important to us, and be secure and happy with our choices.

WHere do we begin: less conflict, more compassion and more willingness yo give the defeated a chance to save some dignity....

I work very hard to create creative projects that will ultimately live or die based on the decisions of the money people. In doing so, I have completely forgotten how to do the smaller, personal, creatively freeing projects that got me to where I'm at in the first place. Never again will I forget to maintain this balance.

i wouldnt have been so chicken to invest in the stock market when people were panic buying. I KNEW there were great opportunities out there, but i didn't take advantaage.

Spent more time focused on my marriage. Been very open with Marc with how we want our family and home to operate. Been very open with Marc when things bother me and let him know how I wish he was around more and was a more involved, considerate, caring parent and spouse. I am going to try to be more open and honest with Marc. I am going to also try to be a better mother and wife myself.

Yes! I wish I had just accepted that my relationship was not going to work, and let it end way back in the fall/winter. In the future I know I need to accept the way things are, and not go into denial or let my wishes/hopes/desires run the show.

I wish I had called my family more often. They are wonderful, loving and supportive people and I do not tell them that enough. It's day two and so far I have already improved...

I wish that I were a better active listener. Over the last year, it has come to my attention that I am so worried about what I'm thinking and what I'm going to say next that I don't listen to other people. My ADD also makes me zone out things that people tell me. I notice that it hurts people feelings when i ignore them and don't listen to what they say. I am going to make a conscious effort to hear what the people i care about are saying. I also will try and remember peoples names.

I wish I had been more outgoing. While I may not have lost any friends, I did not really make many new ones. I am almost done with college and the connections I make here could be some of the most important in my life. This coming year. I will be more social and ensure that I graduate with a good network of support.

I had been dating a woman for three weeks when I asked her to move in with me... She moved in with me over the course of two weeks and then lived in my tiny one-bedroom condo for six weeks. We drove each other crazy. It wasn't a healthy or loving situation. As most medical professionals say, "Spotting the problem early is key." Recognizing our own unhappiness led to the dissolution of our relationship -- which was great! If I had to do things differently, I wouldn't have gotten sloppy drunk and had sex on the first date. That probably would have prevented a lot of problems.

I feel like I have not done my best in expressing my love to those who mean the most to me. There has been a lot more time spent pondering their own perspective and role in my life, but I have yet to make the transition from appreciating it to showing. In the future it is merely a matter of being genuine in my interaction. To consider another view, and to make good on the need to affirm a relationship, to express my gratitude and love.

I wish I'd taken greater care of my friendships. I have a tendency to retreat and spend a great deal of time by myself. I lose people this way and I should have set aside time, forced myself out, and have urged myself lately to up the ante.

Yes. I wouldn't have said "fuck off"/"fuck you". I didn't mean to hurt her, but offense lies in the heart of the beholder. I need to be more aware of how others react to language & tone, especially irony & sarcasm.

My main regret is not asking for a couple more days before signing the contract with my employer. I am, of course, delighted to be beginning my first tenure track job. And the fact that it meant moving back to CA and the bay area couldn't have made me happier. But I regret the fact that it meant that Ben had to accept a job well below what he deserves.

Exercised more. changed jobs. been more affectionate to my wife. otherwise it was a banner year.

Patience. Not screaming. Stop screaming. Count. Take a time out. Perspective. Sleep. Deep breath.

Going back a full year from now - Sept 08? I wish I would have just told him that I heart him, that I utterly absolutely adore him, that I couldn't explain it, that it made no sense, that it might be entirely one sided and not reciprocated at all by him, and that he might be horrified by this knowledge, but that I think the world of him. Maybe one day I will. Maybe a year from now I will have. Wish number two? Another person. I wish I handled the relationship that started and ended this year better. I wish I was more willing to just go for it, that I hadn't been so worried about commitment and fearful that I'd screw up. I wish I didn't start it on the note of 'this won't be anything serious'; maybe it wasn't meant to be anything serious anyway, but I never gave it a fighting chance because of my own fears, and I probably made it more confusing or stressful for him, and I never meant to do that. I don't regret the turn of events - I'm confident we weren't meant to be together in the end - but I wish I had handled the whole thing better, and am grateful for what I learned because of it. I don't have regrets - it's all about learning and growing, and I am happy with that in regards to this past year, I feel I've come leaps and bounds. But do-overs in life would always be a bonus. Those would be mine. I think I learned a lot about fears over the past few years, and especially over this past year.

My boyfriend broke up with me, and I was really bitchy to him as we were breaking up, even though I never liked him that much, and was mainly just sad to lose the sex. If I could go back I would try to have that conversation more civilly. I would let him go happily, because being free has been wonderful.

I wish I had not started smoking again

Not pushed so many people away. I feel that in my last year of college - I was so determined and busy with my school projects, I didn't give much time for my friends, neighbors, and roomates. Although I don't know if there was much I could do - I really did hang out when I could afford to, I realized slowly that people were moving on without me - making new friends, new groups etc. I realized If I lose touch with them - they're not going to wait around. Friendship is give and receive - and I must be a good friend AND a hard worker/family member. I think friendships are some of the things I value most in life - so from now on all the time that I do have for them - I will cherish more. And, think about things from my friends perspective more often - think about how they feel more often/ get into their shoes!

I wish I would have come out of my shell a little more. I'm terrified of standing out, of having people watch me unless I'm doing something I've prepared for very thoroughly. When people dance in our shul, I sit in my chair, my heart pounding.

moving out of dawn's basement, our relationship could have remained close had i not been overwhelmed by feelings of guilt for leaving. they left me anxious and afraid. essentially ending any further friendship with her. in the future when i start to feel as though i must move on, or that the friendship is entering a new dynamic, i must openly communicate to ensure that all feelings are considered.

I wish that I would have made healthier food choices and now don't have to look at the scale thinking..what happened? I stopped eating kosher, vegetarian, and began eating out and eating dairy every chance I could. I decided to stop limiting myself and try to find my own balance instead. I wish I would have spent more time with my family. I wish I had exercised more and ate less.

I would never have smacked my daughter on her tuches. I would have stepped back, taken a breath and focused my response more appropriately. Hitting my children is not the parent that I want to be.

I allowed a toxic situation at work to affect me far too much- I should have worked harder at not letting it get to me, and to not allow my own worth to be questioned by external forces. Or I should have changed jobs more quickly! I will not allow myself to remain in a similar situation again.

I wish that I been stricter with my kids, so they wouldn't be so flippant and non responsive to my requests for simple assistance. I am struggling with the proper way to discipline and to help them learn in childhood how to become responsible adults.

I wish I had paid more attention to my wife's needs. I could have dropped my plans and worked on hers, because mine added up to mostly nothing anyway, although they seemed important at the time. I will not put off what she wants, placing her second, and have such an inflated opinion of my own plans.

what i wish for the past year is what i always wish--that i could be more patient, less reactive, less judging, more compassionate. especially with my family, but with strangers, too.

I wish I'd spend less time worrying and more time being productive, creative, and content. I'm reading a book on the ancient Stoics with my wife that may help the both of us learn to appreciate more of what we've got.

I would have done nothing differently. I'm in a really good place right now and anything I did differently would have changed that. Actually, if I had to choose, I would have made it to 8 am Accounting a few more times to get that A. I doubt that would change too many things.

Yes. I wish I'd have thought more before speaking.

I wish that I could treat people better and be less sarcastic. I think people would take me more seriously.

I wish I'd worked harder this year. There have been times where my productivity level at work has been almost zero. I can be so career focused st times, and yet my performance lets my attitude down. In other areas of my life too I can have the right idea but not put in the action. If I want to progress then I need to put in the work necessary, and I intend to going forward. Let's see whether my good intentions are backed up by my behaviour in the coming year.

Be nicer to people. Pray more often. Worry less.

Something with Josh, but I'm not sure what. I also had like 15 failed attempts at dieting.

If I could do one thing differently, it would have been to leave my job sooner.

I would have been more aggressive in furthering Jewish engagement activities. Maybe if I had been more Nike like we'd have more to show for the year than talking.

I had to do more drawings than I did, and start that website I'm thinking of. I need to use time better and to read books that much.

I've terminated friendships, but in the most obtuse way possible. I'd like to be more compassionate, but direct if there are relationships that aren't working for me and that I can no longer participate in.

In gathering resources to purchase a home, the contributions I was able to make were grossly outweighed by those of my wife. The ensuing ensecurity caused me to find more fault with my wife than I should in a loving relationship. I saw myself doing it, but still wasn't able to get a strong enough handle on myself to prevent it from happening. I'm not sure I feel worthy of forgiveness for behaving this way.

I'm learning a lot and each day brings new battles that either (a) are handled well or (b) are mishandled but give me something new to learn from. I could say I would have rather not done this thing or not said this other thing... but the reality is that it's all been working out for me so far. I stood my ground with not moving back to Miami and I am SO PLEASED with how that went. What I probably should not have done is to get so involved with Josh. He was a rebound from a former flame and a useless person to have around. I wish him the best in life, but that man was toxic for me. But, again, had I not had that experience, I don't think I would have dealt so well with my breakup and break off from Jonathan and been so ready to start anew with J.R. now.

I honestly have no regrets. I'm not saying everything went smoothly this past year, but if I hadn't made mistakes, my life wouldn't be what it is now.

I should've been braver and stronger in facing myself when communicating with a particular loved one. I could've showed more compassion rather than letting the petty things influence me in a way that prevented honest discussion. I wish I could've separated my own issues from the ones that were relevant to the conversation. In the future, I need to be aware of the distinction, deal with the present, and show more compassion.

I wish I would have not been so stressed out. I wish I would have relaxed more at work and just had fun. I wish I would have lived by the mantra "if we're not making mistakes, we're not making money." I wish I could let go of my fears and insecurities in creating. I hope I can give more fears and insecurities over to God.

I wish I didnt put up such a barrier between myself and new people. In particular Im thinking of my new job that required me to work in the office of a company I really want to have a future with. Im shy and I let my insecurities dictate my interaction with people. Im too scared/nervous to pitch in and I want that to change. Im slowly working on this. I wish I talked more when we were sitting around the table, forced myself to take lunch breaks when everyone else did so I was in the discussions more. Instead, subconsciously I avoided those situations. I look back on it and realize the potential that could have had. I also recognize that I need to find my own way to connect to people, that I cant do what others do because thats not me. I need to approach and embrace all people and situations with an open mind and love.

I wish I had spent more time with my family but it is hard since they live far away

I wish I had learned from the past. I wish that I had not again engaged in a complicating a relationship that should not have been complicated. What I have learned is that the behavior is a remnant of very old hurts and that I may never fully understand their locus, but I can respond to the fact of the hurts, lay them down, step over them, and keep on walking. No reason to carry them about. They're too heavy.

I would have asked for help more. I would have not taken those instances where I felt stuck and somehow made them a confirmation of my own inadequacy. I needed to problem solve better for myself, instead of indulging in so much self blame.

I wish December and January had gone better. I cant say what I would have done differently. I guess i would have told him what had happend.

I would have learned more about my job, and then have gone to work somewhere else.

I wish I hadn't felt as torn between all the things I could be doing. It meant that I was frustrated a lot, and wasn't able to enjoy the things I was choosing to do.

I would like to be more empathetic in general. I feel that too much passes before me without really striking the chord that it should.

So many things...keeping up with friends more, reaching out more, being nicer to my family, cherishing my kids more, sleeping more. How could I have done it differently? It all starts with taking care of myself so that I don't wear myself down. It all goes downhill when I'm tired. I need to take better care of myself for the future, for my outlook, for my sanity.

i lost a lot of weight and i wish i kept it off, but instead i started eating badly again and not taking care of my body the way i did. i need to get back on track. i felt better about myself before and that made me happy.

I wish I would have cut the people who I've claimed to be "my best friends" off. They aren't my best friends anymore, they haven't been for a while. People grow up differently so there is no one to blame, they just aren't the people who I want to be around.

I wish I had been more intentional about scheduling small getaways, both for my husband and me, and for our family of 4. Granted, the economy was not great, other priorities got in the way (by necessity), but just a small time away from our daily chores, extended family obligations, technology-fueled obsessions, etc., to simply be with each other. I'm trying to plan 2 small trips now, keeping in mind that this is one important way of showing them how much they mean to me.

I wish I hadn't held grudges. They just keep you down. No matter what someone does, they are still a human being.

I wish I hadn't caused such financial difficulties this year. I would have taken better care of my finances so that I didn't pay so many extraneous fees. I lost a lot of money that way and don't have a lot to begin with. I will learn to be more attentive to the realities of my financial situation and pay attention to details like little charges. I will streamline my accounts. I will not take as many credit cards. I also learned that one should still live and not be pinched regardless of how much money one has.

I wish I had taken more time to meditate on my higher power. I feel that my spiritual life takes a back seat to all the time a mom, a wife & a job takes up that I don't make time to pray. Also, I really want to take a cooking class!!!

I have been jobless this entire year, stuck in a perpetual job search. This past year I took on volunteer positions which help me to continue my professional growth but take me away from my home focus. With my kids growing out of toddler-hood, I would like to concentrate on direct self-sufficiency and put more attention to our family garden.

Amazingly enough, I am proud of many of the decisions I made and actions I took this past year. There are some things that I wish I had done differently. I wish I had taken family leave earlier to spend time with my mom, but I know there was no way to predict the course her disease would take. I also wish I had been more careful with my own emotions in my romantic relationships; I inadvertently hurt myself and another. I will be more deliberate in how I act and speak with my partner (s) in the future.

I wish I had begun my job search a little earlier. I waited until I thought everything was perfect, and lost out on applying for a few jobs because of that. In the future I won't wait for perfection before beginning.

I wish I had taken myself and my life less seriously, and therefore worried less, and therefore been lighter for my loved ones. The big secret is that the things that are most stressful are the things that matter the least.

I wish I hadn't taken so much time off training for triathlon this summer. At the time it seemed like the only way to get everything else I had to do done, but in retrospect a lot of it was just laziness and apathy.

I stayed idle too much. So I found things to participate in to keep me busy. I have started to play softball, and I am enrolled in school full time. So now I dont feel completely reliant on friends and dating to keep me entertained.

I wish that I had followed through and completed the community service project I started with my husband. I think we both are carrying some guilt and shame about beginning something and then procrastinating so much, when it would have been a useful and meaningful project we both would have been proud to have completed.

I have spent much of the past year working in jobs that I find unfulfilling. I have been wanting to go to graduate school for a while now, but I haven't had the motivation to take the necessary steps to get there. I just keep moving from one mediocre job to the next. I keep waiting for the answer to how to kick myself in the ass, but it just hasn't come yet...

I wish I had been kinder to myself... more gentle, more accepting. It would have caused me less stress. Hopefully I can be easier on myself this year.

I would like to be more emotionally honest with the people around me. In order to be close to those people around me, I need to tell them how I feel and what is going on with me.

It there was anything I could of did differently I would quit weight watchers. It is now more then difficult to get started again. I have learn even if I stabalize / plato just to keep at it.

I wish i would have spent more time looking for work in my field after i graduated in April. Although, i shouldnt be too hard on myself because circumstances, and the economy, are rought right now. I may not have the job I want currently, but hey, I have a job!

There are so many actions that I can look back on and find in hindsight a better way to have acted. Too many! Best for me to evaluate the response in the moment, and move forward.

Consistency. I have it in a lot of things that I do, and not so much in other things. I have no regrets, that's for sure, but I think a bit more consistency in a few areas will make me a happier, fuller person.

I wish i had let myself be more vulnerable to failure a little more in exchange for pursuing my dreams. I don't have much to lose right now if i did fail, but just the idea of it freaks me out. I think understanding and believing that everything happens for a reason and that everything in the end will turn out fine will help me take that chance to pursue my dreams and ultimately live a happier life.

I wish I had procrastinated less on working on difficult tasks. I've learned that just starting is half the battle.

I wish I had been able to enjoy some of the time I've had off work instead of being so caught up in finding another job or consulting contract. I would have balanced my efforts more, relaxed, enjoyed the sunshine and just had more fun. I've learned that I need o rust in the universe more than I do. I can't control the circumstances of my life.

Just being stronger and more sure of myself and my direction in life. Reaching all the goals that I set out for myself.

No, never regret.

I wish I had stayed true to my instincts and not given into outside pressure in order to receive the affirmation and affection of another. I was so overwhelmed with the possibility and power of intimacy that I did not do what I knew from the get-go was the right thing to do. I should have stood firmly by my gut feeling about the situation from the beginning and made myself clear, even if that meant letting go of a possible friendship. I need to listen to what is true because, in the end, I do end up reverting to the true instinct but by then with a whole lost of mess and emotional turmoil.

There are so many things that I wish I would have done differently. Going to treatment really opened my eyes as to how I can fully live my life. I hope that as the year goes on, I continue to remember my mistakes and use them as gifts.

I wish I had handled conflict at my job better. I am someone who wears my emotions on my sleeves and did not always hold back. If I could do it differently, I would look at each day as a new day. At least I still have a job during these tough economic times.

There's no one incident or area I can point do. I wish that I pushed myself harder at work to be more productive and to push myself to do projects that I actually care about. That's something I'm still struggling with.

I made a somewhat conscious effort to pay more attention to current events and the news media as sort of a "new years resolution". I kept up with it for a little over 3 months. During which time, I felt I could provide a constructive perspective to a lot of the conversations happening around me. Once I began to slip back into my old habits of not paying attention, I reverted back to my introverted ways and no longer contributed to conversations. I wish I would have stayed on track longer.

The thing that is a constant struggle with me is planning, I often know what I want but the how to get there often escapes me through lack of organisation. I get distracted far too easily. So I wish that I had sorted my money out this year, early enough so that I could have moved out and had more independence. I am learning from it in the fact that I am budgeting and thinking about how to best use my money rather than being so carefree with it.

i wish i had handled my money better...yet again. it's like i take two steps forward...and then three steps back again. i long for the day i do not live paycheck to paycheck anymore..

I wish that I would have made more time for my friends. Living 15 - 20 miles away should not prohibit us from seeing each other as often as we'd like. I wish "convenient" wasn't such an easy substitute for "commitment".

I wish I'd handled my mom going to the rest home differently. I'm not sure if I did the right thing but also not sure of what else I could/should have done.

I have taken on too much work, got involved in too many projects because I'd spent the previous 6 months only doing an internship, which was far from satisfying me. I have to be more selective in the future. I find myself working 16 hour days and weekends. I don't work out. I can't find the time to spend with my friends. This has to stop.

Yes. Looking back now, I wish I had put more of an effort into figuring out the next logical step to take in terms of my career goals...but therein lies the problem, I'm not even sure what those goals are. I have sat back and watched another year of my life go by without trying to change my current situation, and I am admitting now that I have been truly lazy. Over the next year, there is the possibility for a lot of change in my life, and I can only hope that I become more passionate and start to motivate myself in my next direction, wherever that may be...

I need to be more patient with my boyfriend. He teaches me by example and I love him even more for it.

I wish I knew how to enjoy my time away from work better. I wish I wasn't so angry. I need to release my feelings in a positive way.

I wish that I had read more, exercised more and had more time to spend with my family.

I wish I had been better at turning the other cheek when someone doesn't like what I have to say. I've grown less tolerant of people who don't agree with me over the years, and tend to dismiss them after I've been dissed.

Hmmm...I'm sure there are dozens of things I should've done differently in the last year, nothing really huge comes straight to mind though. It's been a pretty good year all in all, no major mistakes that I've been regretting. Perhaps the things I wish I'd done differently are just things I've yet to do -- photography courses, getting into a martial art or some other good exercise routine, getting my car registered in CA, stuff like that. There's never enough time.

I want to stop myself sooner from going on and on criticizing a child when they do something wrong. Sometimes I can see it coming but for some reason just let it keep going. Must be I don't yet visualize the alternative (what happens when you don't say it all at once in an avalanche). I hope I'll get it really soon.

I made a mountain out of a mole-hill when I verbally fought with a good friend. I yelled and screamed over what was really a minor thing.

I wish I had worked more in my studio. I need to rearrange my priorities. Actually writing down a schedule for each day may help.

I wish I had paid more attention to my need for adequate rest. My late hours negatively impacted my work during a time when the economy was bad enough. I need to accept that there will always be things left undone at the end of each day, and value the benefits of sleep more.

I wish that I was able to have made more progress in my down time. I like to joke about how busy I am and how little time I've had for many things in my life, which is often, but not always true. I haven't made time for my family and friends the way I'd like.

I would call/phone people more.

I wish I had stuck to my health and fitness goals. I'm at the age where yo-yoing has major health and weight implications, so I really need to be more steady. I want to focus on the triggers that get me off my path and figure out how to be less susceptible to them.

Hindsight is 20/20. Because I have been unable to find a job to replace the one I lost in June 2008, I would have gone to school for retraining. But, who would have thought that someone with 20+ years of corporate experience would be out of work for 15 months (and counting).

I have no regrets from this year. I laughed a lot, loved my family and my friends, gave when I could, took when I had to, tried to embrace each moment for what it was. I searched for romantic love, sustained love - somewhat unsuccessfully - but learned a lot about myself in the process. I think it will happen when I'm ready. I'm almost there.

I should have had more patience with my fiance and his struggle with depression.

Been more patient with my eldest daughter while she was living at home looking for work

I try not to live with that sort of regret. I just need to own up to the loans I have, pay them off, and cling to my goals. I can't give up on who I am, I just hope I don't lose sight of that.

Yes. I would have thought through some of my actions before hand and have thought of the consequences. In the future I hope to consider effects more seriously and hopefully be able to control my actions and words with my thoughts.

I would not have taken my last job. It took me six months to find it, and although there were red flags all over the place, it was the first one offered. With one week of unemployment benefits left, it seemed prudent. I realized that I has lost my center, creating huge insecurities. And so I found myself striving to please (my boss) without keeping my own needs and space in balance. No wonder the job didn't work out!

i wish i hadn't purchased my Invisalign braces. i should have been more persistent with my dentist as to whether or not i really NEEDED them.

Keep my temper. Keep my temper. Not let the 15 year old or the 17 year old get to me. To remember that I am not my emotions, but that at times, it just feels that way.

Over this past year I have at times lost my composure, yelled at my children and even been rough with my 5-year-old (grabbing him by the shoulders or putting my hand on his mouth when he was screaming in anger). I would prefer to have kept my volume lower and my body steadier. Because he does not respect a closed door ("Momma needs to take a time-out because I love you, but I feel angry, and I need to get myself under control") but beats upon it with such force while screaming that door is likely to splinter and because that behavior only pushes me to more intense anger. Because he only escalates in the face of anger, I have got to figure out a way to unplug. I also must take better care of myself so that I am not exhausted, hungry or stressed-out which leaves me vulnerable to losing my temper. All while continuing to help him learn how to moderate and express his own emotions safely.

I wish that I had known more about blindness, in general, and how that causes a certain rigidity and reliance on habit, before my friend came to visit. It took me awhile to understand that all of her rules were matters of self preservation. Don't pet her guide dog when he is "working," no "dog treats" no playing with my bassets. I was hurt and offended at first. I had gone to alot of extra work to put the house in pristine condition and, then, without even trying staying with me (as planned ) she wanted me to take her to a motel to stay. I loved having her in town with me but, was glad when she had lunch with someone else so I had a break from conforming to her needs. Had I known more beforehand, I might have shown more grace and ended the visit less exhausted.

I spent the past year in New York City, by far the best and most challenging year of my life. I wish I had given more time to my brilliant peers at Columbia, that I had invested just a fraction less in my school work and more in my social life. Strange words for a nice Jewish girl, but its true.

I think in the past year I did too much rather than focusing on bigger projects. I think that I need to learn that I can't do everything and that it may be better to focus on individual projects.

If I could do anything differently this past year...I don't believe I would do anything differently. With every experience comes a new lessons to be learned and I haven't stopped learning yet.

I am harsh with my children. We are working on our communication

Talk to a co-worker about her inappropriate dress at work. I could have told her that this is hard for me - I did. I could have told her who said comments - I didn't. I could have told her that this is not going to be easy to hear - I did. I could have told her to not respond and jus think about it - I didn't.

I wish I had studied harder - getting an A might be nice and helpful, but it doesn't always mean you know the material. I strive to both achieve high scores in school, and also to EARN them - getting an A and earning it are two separate beasts. In the future (i.e. now) I work hard to understand the material to the best of my ability, not just studying for the test (though I must do that to some extent) but also learning the material for myself - it is important to do so for the first time in my life.

I wish I had not agreed to be my church's secretary; it has only hastened my falling-away from organized religion. I suppose the lesson I've learned is to think twice before leaping in to help when asked.

The one thing I would have done differently was staying in touch more with my friends and cousins. Especially those that have children. I used to be great about calling and emailing. Now I hardly ever do it. I really don't want to lose touch with the people I love but I will if I don't make an effort.

I wish I had taken the time to get to know the girl I was interested in before the last minute. I waited to get to know someone who turned out very important to me until a month before a major move...and that move strained our relationship to breaking point. Maybe it wasn't right and wouldn't have worked out, but because I waited on it and then rushed it to make up for it, it failed. I failed. It's a habit I have where I get through just under the wire, and it's too stressful a way to be. If something's important, I need to go after it in a controlled healthy manner/at a reasonable pace, and not wait for an ultimatum. I'm glad I did what I did though and it's made me all that much stronger and wiser.

I had a remarkable opportunity this spring, the kind of opportunity I've been hoping to have for years. I feel I did everything right, everything I was supposed to do to take advantage of this opportunity, yet somehow it seems to have fizzled away. I wish I had handled it differently, but how? I don't know!

I don't believe in regretting things. Everything I might answer this with, I suspect I will have a different perspective on in a year, or two years, or perhaps more. It has been a year of growth and any issues have not prevented overall improvement.

I don't believe in regrets, but I do wish I could stress about work less, and focus more on life.

I should have spent less time on the computer, and gone outside with my kids more instead. And yet, here I am answering 10Q... so apparently I have not yet learned from this.

There were a couple of instances where I took shit from members of the public when I was at work. My natural response was to continue to be very polite but sometimes more assertiveness is required. This is what I am aiming for - standing up for myself.

This was probably my most significant year of my life, so I cannot complain about anything. The only thing I wish I could have done was book a better hotel for us on our honeymoon, but hey, we were saving our money for a house!

I like to re-evaluate, but I try to not regret things. I will definitely try to be more kind to my spouse this year.

I wish I would have been disciplined enough to lose the 20 lbs I have been trying to lose for close to 3 years now. I would have stuck to eating right and exercising..I wish I could get back to my old self. I feel like I just don't care about myself anymore. I think if I just give myself a break and learn to love myself, I could improve. I use food for comfort not for sustenance. I need to slowly get back to putting myself first.

I wish I had handled a a friendship differently. I would have spent more time on figuring out the problem and what the other person needed, not just what I needed. I learned that I need to understand both people in a friendship, not just myself.

I fell into some bad habits and stopped working out- new goal- stop the bad habits and eat better- exercise more for the sake of my children!

I wish I had been more proactive upon returning to New York in January. While I kept busy, I feel like I could have done more to find work and make new friends. I think living in a new, generally friendlier atmosphere has shown me that regardless of surrounding it is important to remain open and friendly. I hope that in the future I can be friendly and cheerful even in environments that are not.

If I am truly living my life in faith, i.e., in the belief that my will and my life are in God's care, then even my mistakes are God given. To wish I had done something differently means I am not living in the here and now, and not accepting life as it is, on its terms: messy and traumatic and imperfect. And it means I'm focusing on the errors and not the opportunities for growth they represent. But I can (and do) pray to find the growth in even the worst events in which I had a part.

I wish I had communicated a bit more with one of my brothers. I have two borthers, but one I am much closer too. Though I do not have much in common with one brother, there is no reason that I cannot reach out and close the gap a bit with just saying hello, how are you and simply checking in.

I wish that we had chosen a different house when we moved here. A house with a yard and a fence. A neighborhood with friends for the kids. I feel so isolated where we are. Living in this big beautiful house isn't that much compensation when you don't have friends to share it with.

I wish that I was not a hog and had taken my money out of stocks before the recent crash. In the future I hope I will be smart enough to take my prifits without bcoming a hog.

I always try to do too much. Too many overbooked nights, multitasking, overscheduling. I need to triage and prioritize and stick to that practice, it's better for me and also means better quality time when I do share it because it's mindful and intentional, not just full of anxiousness about the next obligation.

I wish I was more serene, more accepting of the flow of life and less inclined to need to see fairness and balance in the world. It cuts into my faith when I see bad people succeed and good people struggle. I don't know how to restore my faith that it all balances out in the end, that the good we do is recognized and the bad others do is punished. Maybe it doesn't balance out. Maybe there isn't any fair, but my religious background certainly implies that there is some eventual evening out in the universe. I don't know how I'll achieve the serenity I seek. But I'll continue to seek it.

I THINK I AM AT AN AGE WHERE I TRY NOT TO DO THINGS I NEED TO DO DIFFERENTLY. I WORK DAILY TO LOOK AT MY LIFE AND LEARN FROM IT. I HAD A PERSONAL CONFLICT WITH SOMEONE. I KNOW TODAY THAT ALLOWING SOMEONE TO UPSET ME IS BECAUSE I AM ENGAGING IN THE BATTLE. TODAY WHAT I NEED TO REMEMBER IS LET GO AND LET G_D LEAD ME. IF SOMEONE IS UPSETTING ME I NEED TO LEARN TO NOT REACT BECASUE EVEN IF I AM RIGHT I HAVE A PART IN IT THAT MAKES IT WRONG.

Honestly, there isn't anything noteworthy that I wished I had done differently this year. Of course there are the little things, like "I wish I hadn't snapped at Jeffrey when he asked me something" or I wish I had been more patient with my account person. If I had to think of something, I wish I was better at staying in closer touch with people, like my sister for one, old friends like Erica or Alyson, or even newer friends like Lucia. These people are so important to me and its getting harder to stay in close contact with them. Just by writing this down and acknowledging it, I am going to make more of an effort to catch up with someone about once a month...

Yes. I should have spent more time with my kids. I have already changed, and now in my new schedule I can enjoy their lifes more hours during the week.

I would have appreciated the people around me more by listening more and not reacting so quickly to what was said to me. I am committed to doing more listening and less talking.

I wish I had kept my sense of self worth more. I don't think I'd be as deep in this pit as I am now if I had had a little self respect and said no, and not worried so much about upsetting the people the I care about. My health, my sanity, my safety HAS to come before them.

I wish I made more an an effort to stay in touch with my brother and not my negative feelings for his wife get in the way. I think if I had put him first and not focused on his choice in partner, it would have been easier to pick up the phone and call him. I need to remind myself that my relationship with him important to me and it not to cut it off because of my feeling towards his wife.

I try really hard not to regret things. I do not really see the point. Things happen and sometimes I don't think I would do things the same way, but from each experience I learn something new.

I wish I had spent less time, energy and money trying to please other people and solve everyone's problems and focused, instead, more intently on myself and my own problems. In the future I can stop being so naive and only seeing, creating or imagining the good things in people and start listening more to the warnings from friends, family and my own intuition.

Nothing major. Small things like exercise more and not watch so much crappy tv! but i'm not that torn up about it :-)

I wish I had listened to the coaching I got. If I had listened, I would not be in the "mess" I'm in financially. I have learned not to question the coaching, and surrender to it 100%

This year I was laid off, and then later offered a position to come back. I was given a pretty good severence, and gave it up to go back to the company I was working at. I wish that I had taken that opportunity to see if I could have found something that made me really happy. I seem to stick with things that I know, because they feel safe. When in reality, I end up giving up on things that I really want because I am afraid...and that fear makes me more unhappy than the failure of not getting something I went for.

I wish I had handled a lot of my relationships differently this past year. I think that I trust too easily and so get hurt too easily. I have learned to look at what is really there instead of just looking to see the things I want to see in people and situations. Sometime being a complete optimist ends with you down in the dumps.

Just the usual stuff- less gossip, less anger, less quarreling. But nothing very concrete.

i wish i had acted faster and more independently instead of waiting for some external forcing event. two examples: 1) clearing out clutter *before* my partner moved in 2) dealing with work-related stress before it created a health crisis for the future: i can remind myself frequently that there's no time like the present, that delaying action often exacerbates a problem, and tell myself how lucky i am to have such a sweet partner and to not take advantage of that/him by waiting for him to get resentful before i deal with something.

I have allowed my frustration get in the way of rational thought or reason. I have allowed myself to build up anger and frustration about another person based on information from a third party. In response to my frustration, I actively "fueled the fires" in ongoing debates in which I was not totally a part. This only lead to a mass of anger thrown in my direction. The anger was partially valid as my email had intentionally angered people but it was also hurtful and unnecessary. I could have handled this differently through removing myself from the emotional strings that were effectively dragging me though my own emotional baggage without incite or perspective. At tashlich this year, I vowed to stop engaging in destructive patterns of behavior that are driven by my emotions and lack of ability to think before reacting. This emotional response has lead to unhealthy patterns of living with myself or being with others. Its time I work on reducing my reliance on these behavioral patterns to deaden or release my anger/frustration or disapointment.

I wish I wouldn't have told my mom I wanted to die when we were in Door County. Even though I was upset and lacking hope, it would have been better to scream or cry, but keep those words to myself. I love talking to my mom, she is never acting shocked and therefore it can feel ok to tell her anything. However, in the future I need to be really honest with myself and think about what things I want to write in the sand and what I want to carve into rock. There is a difference.

I wish I had handled my marriage better in the past year, that I had loved more and understood more about what it means to truly love. But I don't think I had the tools, so in that way I am accepting of the fact I could not meet my husband in a clearer space. I very much do want to continue to work on this though, as I felt I nearly lost him and I do not want to put our relationship in jeopardy again. I can learn from it by being more patient, more present, more aware and more awake and alive to our day to day life. Say what I feel more. Be honest and open more of the time.

I wish I would have stopped to breath and enjoy some quite time outside in my garden more. I would have liked to have planted a vegetable garden and am hoping to start planning next year's this winter.

I was unpleasant to a particularly unpleasant woman. I really picked on her. I was so ashamed afterwards that I will try never to do this again to anyone. I will try to accept people I think too soon that I won't like. I will try to understand their motivation.

I have distanced from my congregation this year, not going to services or Torah study. I went to intensive classes on Talmud and heard teachings from a mystical Rabbi, but I have abandoned my community by not being physically present much.

This past year I proposed. My biggest regret is that I had told him not to propose to me. I was afraid of not being in lock-step with him; I was afraid of saying no; I was afraid of being asked. But mostly, I think I was afraid of losing control.

I wish I had been stronger this past year. Too many "breakdowns", especially in front of others. Being the way I am, I don't think I could've done things differently, but I have been trying to change myself to a person who would not behave that way ever since.

In the past year I did not make a lot of time to visit with friends as I was focused on my new relationship. If I could have done things differently, I would have found the time to balance relationships and friends and gotten together with friends not just when my boyfriend was with his. In this coming year, and hopefully from here on out, I plan to make plans on my own and balance both my relationship and friendships.

I have stopped writing a journal after being diligent for decades. My computer was stolen and nearly everything I had written was lost. I can't bring myself to start again, as though without the context of the past, today is meaningless. I should have started again. I should have backed everything up.

I wish I had designed my life so that I could turn up and down my spending. This involves designing your life initially to take care of only the necessities. The add-ons can come just that as long as you don't become dependent...something nice to have but not essential...so much has become essential. And when I had accomplished this feat I would pass it on to my children who could benefit throughout their lives. Live longer and happier through less.

I wish I had been more patient with people at home and at work and be slower to get angry and voice hurtful opinions. Listen harder and understand where the other person is coming from, especially my wife.

When I first moved to DC, I was afraid to get out and experience things. I was scared of the change I was going through and I was overwhelmed by it all. My friends, my family were all gone and I was paralyzed by being alone for the first time in my life. If I were to go back and do things differently, I would make myself get out and experience the city - do things, get involved. But I do know that every experience makes us who we are, it is an opportunity to learn and grow. Thus I would never go back and do it over. I needed that time in my life to experience pain, to get over it and to become strong enough to move on. I know have that experience which has shaped who I am and how I act in the future. I can appreciate this time in my life and its purpose, and I can accept that while I may not have acted as I would going forward, I learned from what I did wrong thus in the end, it was okay for me to have acted this way.

i wish i had interacted with elissa in a more completely informed manner regarding our planned trip to vegas. i should have listened and asked more questions rto fully understand where she was at. i resolve to dig deeper, ask more questions, to empathically listen, and then to make sure my understanding is correct/accurate before trying to be understood.

There is always something I wish I had done differently. Whether it be how I treated a friend (maybe just not returning a phone call) or how I handled a situation at work (maybe not stepping up and doing my best) or even something for myself (going to the gym more) ... in many ways, those are all self-defeating behaviors and I think the key is not improving them individually, but figuring out why I let things like that happen in the first place, and work on connecting accomplishing those things with a happier, better ME.

I wish in general that I had been more careful about my life and education choices. I worry regularly that the path I have chosen with not make me happy, or fulfilled, or that I will not be successful. I wish I had saved more money, so that I could spend it on visiting friends and traveling, rather than credit card payments.

I wish I was able to spend more time with my daughter and new grandson. I wish I would "listen" to my husband more instead of jumping in with "my" answer and I wish I would learn to take time for myself and not just work all the time.

Patience is a virtue. I just can't say that enough. Especially when you're angry-- thinking about consequences will benefit you in the long run.

Every year I run into the same problem. I am, in large part, going through the motions of life and not really living. I make the safe choices and I choose temporary comfort over longer-term happiness. This year, as in years past, I wish that I had lived a fuller life--gone out on a limb more and stepped out of my comfort zone more.

been a bit slower to anger with people I thought were foolish or mindless or something else negative......

Yes- I wish I had not given all my power away in the beginning of my relationship with Josh. I had more power than I knew I had and I handed it all over. I am grateful that everything ended up in the right spot, but looking back I wish I would have known my authentic strength.

I don't really believe in the desire to change your past. I don't think it helps us to dwell on the past, to regret or wish you had done differently. Where does regret get you? Nowhere. It just stops you from moving forward.

Relatively few things, actually. I wish I would have controlled my anxiety and ADD better and earlier so it wouldn't hurt my relationships. But I don't know how I could have mentally taken action when it needed to be taken.

I should have kept in touch with friends more. Facebook makes it easy to "stay in touch" without actually communicating. I need to make more effort.

The same thing could be said for the past 40+ years, I wish I'd been straighter, more direct with people. Not that I obfuscate, but we all tend to be afraid of directness. In the end, honesty - tempered with care for others' feelings - is the best way to operate.

I wish I had spent more time on things to improve my situation. If I could spend an hour a day, diligently, improving skills, I'd not be in this situation now. I want to learn to be more steady and focused. Of course, I'm doing this instead of that, so I'm not sure how good I'll be.

I wish that I would spent less time doing things that sap my time and energy: fooling around online, watching TV, avoiding responsibility. Instead, in the future, I want to do things that make me feel smart and strong: reading, learning, exercising, and spending time with my family.

I would have moved out of Minnesota while I still had the means to do so. Now I feel as if I'm stuck because I don't have the money to move or take a chance without going bankrupt.

i would've held on to my savings a little more... not sure how possible that would've been though.

I wish that I had forseen the future. At the beginning of the year we were a happy go lucky family with not a care in the world. As the world changed so did our lives. Looking back we should have prepared better for the lean times.

I wish I had figured out how to organize my thoughts and my life much sooner. I know there are enough hours in the day to get everything done, but somehow I always seem to come up short and I think the reason is my head is too full with unimportant things.

I wish I had taken my husband up on his offer to go to San Luis Obispo for a brief vacation. With me being out of work I felt guilty spending the money. I now see the importance of getting away from one's normal circumstance and living differently, however briefly.

I wish I would have been more proactive in every area of my life... with organization, with my health, with my creativity, with my spirituality and with romance. and I wish I had watched less TV and spent a ton more time outdoors!

Rather than trust my talent and instinct to send out my first book proposal, I took a friend up on her offer to assist me with it because she had a lot of experience. But in hindsight, my gut was that she didn't have experience with my genre and might not get the tone right. In the end, it took much longer than if I'd simply pushed through by myself and had more confidence. I've learned I need to listen to my intuitive knowing more and trust it and that I have a tendency to buckle to the influence of others from a lack of confidence in myself. In the future, my goal is to be aware of this and live with greater courage and take action rather than wait for outside approval.

Not really. I wish I could have gone home more or gone out with friends more often, but overall I think things happened the way they were supposed to.

I wish I had found the courage to follow through to get a job. Reasons: It will restore my self respect We need the money It will make Leah proud of me I have guilt about not setting a good example for Leah. I can sit my butt down and DO IT. If I get organized it will set a better example for Leah and keep me motivated as well.

I wish I wouldn't get so stressed out. This is true for every year. I want to learn to live in the moment and take life as it comes.

I have to say that 2009 has been the most life changing year so far. I have taken the biggest steps personally and professionally. I really have nothing that i would have done differently because i'm exactly where i should be. I've made some of the greatest friends, watched my twin sister give birth, helped my father heal from the loss of my mother, moved cities, traveled, got promoted and fallen in love. It's been a pretty great year!

If there was one thing I could have done differently, it would have been to make more of an effort to stay in touch with old friends. One in particular passed away this year, and I didn't get a chance to tell her in person what a difference she had made in my life. I will try to stay in touch with as many friends as I can.

I despair that I was not able to maintain my weight loss worked on so hard during 2008 into 2009. I did not maintain and sustain, but fell off.

I wish I had spent more time practicing trope for the adult B'nai Mitzvah--the opportunity feels lost. Perhaps I will periodically review it this year, but with homeschooling, I doubt it.

I moved my family from the San Francisco bay area to the top of the South Island of New Zealand. This has been a wonderful move for my immediate family, but devestating to my Mom, brothers, and cousins. I wish that I had been more straight forward with my Mom. I wish that I had not taken on her pain, and allowed it to detract from the experience I am seeking for my family. I will try very hard to be honest and empathetic, but also to remember that everyone has their own struggles and I am not responsible for anyone's happiness but my own.

I wish I had been able to maintain my cool in emotinally charged situations. By observing how my body reacts or responds, I can speak my truths without blame and honor my feelings without ratcheting up tension or taking things personally.

I wish that I could be more forgiving and more patient in regards to other people, their needs and concerns. I really need to take a look at life from their perspective and attempt to put myself in their shoes and see what they see. I need to keep practicing patience and hope to achieve more and more patience.

While I'm not always satisfied with my past, I never regret it.

I wish I had not discussed the standing of the estate with my late husband's children. I wish I had simply and quietly taken the little bit of life insurance, sold the house for as much as possible and then disappeared.

hold back a little before reacting emotionally, out of hurt..its about my ability to trust and believe in others...that others really want what's good for me as well...its so hard to say what's real..in a nonreactive way..its also really hard to trust in the goodness and give people the benefit of the doubt..that's my work..

I always follow my instincts and do what I feel is best. It wouldn't even occur to me not to. For better or worse, I rarely find myself in any kind of situation or relationship that I didn't walk into with eyes wide open.

I would have separated more quickly from those things on which I had an unhealthy dependence. I would have gone to more meetings and been less fearful.

I wish I would have kept the healthy eating and exercise habits I developed the year before.

I wish I had been more productive in getting healthier. I have tried to quit smoking, cut down drinking, go the gym more and have succeeded at least partially in all of these, but I wish I could have more willpower to become a healthier person.

I wish I could and would stay motivated to work out. I always feel so much better when I do move my butt - but I can't stay motivated!

I wish I was still good friends with a couple of people I used to call my best friends...a certain friend actually. We just have both changed in the past couple years and our personalities don't click as well as they used to. I would say its my fault for not puting in all the effort, but its their fault because they treat me like they are so much better than me. I really hope that we can get past our differences, treat each other with respect, and be better friends again someday soon. I'm willing to try harder as long as they r willing to treat me better but I just don't know if that's the case.

I've been impatient and impulsive. I've let my career take on an importance in my life that I've increasingly begun to question. The fallout of my actions has created a real crisis of self-confidence that while contained is still distracting and somewhat debilitating. I think I reached a point a few years back where I simply lost a lot of my sentimentality, or at least learned to swallow it until whatever decision was made. I think it may be time to open myself back up to that again. I think it may be time to learn to stick it out; for my own sake, but if not that for my fiancee's. In retrospect, I should have stayed in Texas, if just until early next year. Until the house was done. Until we were married, maybe. I don't know. I keep thinking that things are going to fall into place, though I wonder if that's not more and more obvious naivete. Ultimately I think it will all work out for us, for me. I want to say I should think things through better, but man, how could I have known what I was getting myself into? I ask myself that every day. I'll certainly *try* to think things through more thoroughly.

There are a lot of things I can improve but I'm not to worried about gleaning lessons from my mistakes yet. I'm a work in progress and these things take time. I'm slowly but surely figuring my shit out.

Taken more steps to heal a family rift that I stayed away from because I was not directly involved in. I would have tried to heal hurts and misconceptions.

I wish that I wasn't so quick to get emotional or upset over things people say and do. I need to learn to distance myself from the situation at hand and realize that it is usually nothing personal and that people make the choices that they need to for themselves and it has nothing to do with me.

I wish I hadnt quit one of my sales Jobs I should have stuck it out and really tried harder I made to many excuses for myself this year. I would have not quit and told the truth to myself and others around me about my current situation. I will never lie to myself about anything; what I mean is coming up with excuses and beliving them to avoid a little effort

I wish I could have said no more gracefully to some work projects, and I would have liked to work like less of a lunatic the first six months of the year. I have learned that saying no to opportunities sometimes means saying yes to more time, peacefulness, and balance in life.

I would have behaved differently in the short relationship that I was in. I would have taken notice of the red flags I saw and discontinued the infatuation. From this experience I am learning to choose a partner more wisely for myself.

should switch job when i got the chance. Diet to get thinner.

Yes. I wish I had chosen not to argue. . . to walk away. . . not to have to have the last word even though I know I'm right. I am learning to take care of myself first. . . to conserve my energy. . . not to lose myself.

Not really - I think the way I handled this last year was the best I could've done it. Separation, divorce, new apartment, new girlfriend... all seem to be OK.

I wish I'd had the insight and fortitude to make a definite plan for exercising regularly, whether walking, swimming, or other. E.g., make it a regular schedule that I swim on 2 weekdays and walk at least on the weekend--or some such plan.

Not this year. Now if you want to go back a little further ...

i wish i hadn't worked so much. My 3 jobs this year were so much less stressful than my 1 job 2 years ago that i thought working all the time was smart. But when i went out on maternity leave i realized how stressed i had been. Mostly because of always having to be somewhere. Never really slowing down. And now that i am home more my husband and i get along so much better. i didn't know my working so much was so hard on him. i have learned that making more money doesn't buy more happiness

If I could have done anything differently this past year, it would have been to shed the sense of fear that I carry with me every day. It's unnecessary and unfair to me and those around me. I have learned to a greater extent how our beliefs are often just thoughts we have decided to accept and internalize. Go after a dream. Carry nothing but love. Commit to feeling gratitude for something on a daily basis. And realize that our promise is only limited by the days we have in our lifetime.

Many times when I wish I had been more patient, whether with my fiance, my parents, my sister my colleagues. I tell myself all the time that when I have children, which I believe I will soon, that I will need to have learned that.

Supported my sister more. Talked to her and helped her when she was unsure. Open a dialogue with her, and call her at least twice a week.

I would have spent more time in the past year preparing for a possible, and now real, layoff. For instance, getting a business structure up and making more solid preparations for a move away so I would have been better financially/emotionally/etc able to deal with the layoff time. It's not easy being unmotivated and unemployment is very effective at de-motivating me. I dislike not being helpful, part of a team.

I don't wish for anything different. Truly. All the seeming "mistakes" I may have made, happened for a reason, for me to learn and grow. For that I am thankful.

I wish I had been more patient with my kids. I would have planned to work a couple of days per week, even if it only worked out to enough to pay the babysitter. I am better when I am not with my kids all the time, and when I do more than take care of them, the house, the dog and all that entails.

Every time I judged rather than accepted, expressed anger instead of love, or showed impatience instead of understanding I wish I'd done it differently. So much good comes from shedding positive light on the people around you. Genuine, authentic, knowing light.

I didn't do a great job re-entering the dating scene after getting out of a long relationship. I need to think a lot harder in the future about why I'm dating people before I get started with them. That'll be more fair to both of us.

I wish I'd had sex with less people.

I lost my chance to stay in London because I didn't have the money in the bank that I needed to have sitting there for three months to show I could support my self. I looked for and found a job and a place to live, but neither of those were important for the visa. The UK gov only wanted to see money in the bank. I should have borrowed the money when I knew I was going to need it. The money to stay was not a huge amount, and if I asked around maybe I could have gotten it from a few different sources. But I held back. I didn't want to ask for help. I didn't want to borrow money that I wasn't sure I could pay back. I wasn't certain I would find a job at all. Or an apartment. Or be able to make ends meet. I was afraid. I didn't trust myself, didn't believe myself. And because of that, when I finally got a job and a place to stay, it was too late. So maybe the lesson is to believe in my abilities before they are proven in order to get what I need to prove them. Oh, me of little faith.

I have to learn to live without any regrets. Therefore, what is done is done. Everything happens for a reason and I cannot always get caught up in the past. I wouldn't want to change anything because the things that have happened have changed and shaped me into the person I am today. However, for the future: I will learn to remain optomistic and look life's glass as half-full instead of half-empty.

I wish I would have continued writing. I feel I got distracted, worried about the future, and retreated a bit back into my career out of fear. Ultimately, I feel worse, because I've stopped doing something that pleases me.

I wish I could manage myself better, my time, my energy. I wish I could create more structure for myself. I can't think of one specific thing that I would have done differently. Maybe because I don't see myself as making specific mistakes. Everything is flowing so well. But I do wish I were more structured and that I could make money and harness my earning power and creativity to make me lots of money so that I could be stable financially and buy a house (and still be able to travel). Looking back, maybe I would have trusted myself more with respect to the film so that it wouldn't take so long to get to where we are, though I also feel that everything has been unfolding as part of a process, that doesn't solely depend upon me and my directness.

I would have never trusted the people that I did. I learned to really trust very few people.

I had a lot of relational drama this year. It was growth drama, but I want to ensure that I learned the lessons I needed to learn so I don't have to do them that way again. I want to remember that true kindness sometimes hurts me in order to free someone else of their dependence on me.

Been kinder and more gracious to my wife and children.

Wish I had prayed more and kvetched less.

I would have been a good little do-be and improved my performance as recommended. Then I might still have a job. In the future, I will just suck it up.

One thing I learned this year is that I actually suck at being a team leader in the workplace. In hindsight, I would have asked for more guidance from mentors. Live and learn: More humility, less arrogance. You don't have to be perfect, and when you're not, ask for help.

I wish I hadn't spread myself so thin and sold myself short. I need to focus more on things that matter and leave behind those that don't. The bigger picture is what I need to remember to look at.

yeah. whine less and move forward more. stop dwelling on a certain issue and... thru keeping busy, get my mind off it more. learn to take no for an answer, please. i have no willpower. i wish i could concentrate better. on the other hand, i,ve been too hard on myself sometimes, too. just accept that i am doing my best, and that's just good enough. whatever.

I wish I would have been more thoughtful with how I spend me time. I want to use my time wisely, being efficient and making decisions consciously rather than by default. I can think about this every day when I wake up and assess again at night.

I would like to spend more time being mindful and feeling connected instead of being lost in my own thoughts and worries. Meditation, spirituality and taking care of myself need to be priorities.

I guess I wish I had been stronger towards my husband. he was laid off over a year and a half ago. I know it hit him REALLY hard, I know he's been depressed because of it. but I wish I had been more forceful about him finding a job. I wish I could have been more open with him about how frustrated I was watching him waste away.

I knew I was wasting money keeping some things in storage. However I just kept leaving the items there, because the task of moving them out seemed so daunting. I thought, I won't have enough room at home, I won't be able to fit things in the car, I won't be able to move it all out without a high degree of difficulty. I had all kinds of doubts and the longer it took me to get myself together and attempt it, the larger those doubts seemed to grow. Finally I just did it: rented a car on a whim, found out I had room in the basement, discovered I had hardly anything left in storage, and it was easy to carry and move. How can I improve on this situation in the future? Assume things will work out for the best? Assume things will work easier? Assume that I have the ability to take care of myself? Take more chances?

I wouldn't have broken the heart of someone I love. I would have taken more care with my words and actions. I am currently starting from scratch--taking the good things that were between us before and using them, and leaving the bag things that didn't work.

Honestly, I don't think I would have done anything differently. I try to live life to the fullest and believe that everything happens for a reason.

I would have stayed on unemployment without jumping the trigger. And believe people on their word. Next time take time to think and calculate what and how it should have been done.

I would have liked to handle my romantic life differently. After ending a very tumultous relationship in the winter of 2008, I decided to try out all different dating avenues... jdate, eharmony and the like. The more I focused on it the less I found what I wanted. The more I focused on the concept of "the one" the less of myself I felt like I was being. If I could have done it differently I would have really thought about does this person have the qualities I'm looking for to make me happy and not put their happiness in the forefront. In this new year, I hope to be more assertive about my needs and trust my gut when someone isn't meeting them. None of this can be accomplished without self-acceptance and self-respect which will ultimately lead me to finding someone great.

I wish I had created a financial plan for myself. I need to create a spending plan and follow it in order to save money for the future. I find that the whole thing scares me and overwhelms me. I need to start to face these fears and begin to approach this issue little by little. First, I need to figure out on what I am spending, and then make a plan.

I didn't push myself enough. I would have done more training and explored other networking opportunities deeper. I need to get things moving.

One thing I definitely would have liked to have done quicker was to send out thank you notes for my 30th birthday, which I was all set to do, but just didn't finish and send them out. It was such a wonderful birthday, with a nice celebration held by my parents, friends that came out the night of my big day, and a surprise party held with my best friend, where I had no idea about the party and still didn't know until a few minutes into the party!

Allowing a doctor to treat me even when I began to have misgivings about the quality of the care I was being given. I would have listened to that little inner voive more carefully that told me to get out of his office. Learn to be guided more by my own inner voice and not those voices around me that think they know me better then I know myself.

actually no. the cancer thing has made me feel quite good about my choices since then. a lot of clarity. what came before (half the past year) really doesn't matter anymore.

I often use free time and do nothing. Nothing means I watch "bad tv" - model shows, competition shows, etc. I know I do this because I feel so overwhelmed with all of my responsibilities and if I have "nothing to do" - that's what I do - nothing - mindless nothing. But I sometimes feel bad that I didn't study something (piano, guitar, French) or do something more valuable with that time.

I wish I had taken better care of myself and not gained this much weight. What I've learned is to take care of myself and stop taking care of everyone else all the time...easier said than done as the single mother of 3 children.

I dealt with and expressed my doubts about my relationship in an unskillful way, undermining the trust we were building together. I would have liked to show the commitment I pledged, through whatever shifts in feeling that came up.

No, nothing I could have done differently this year. It's all good.

Yes, I said in a pique things that were hurtful and unnecessary. I later apologized, however realized there were better strides to be taken .

I wish I had pushed harder for us to have a family vacation. I would have been more clear with my wife how important that time is for us - to not prioritize our jobs over learning to take more time just for us. I can learn that I need to speak up about what I think is important but more importantly - why it is important to me.

I should have enjoyed my retirement and leisure time the way it's intended to rather than constantly feeling lazy and wasting a lot of time. I need to work on my restlessness. Always want to do something, however never really finish anything but move on to the next thing. So, if I can learn anything from this it is to enjoy the moment and accept it as something I decided and deserve to do.

Although I know there were good reasons I did not take more time off from work while my mother was in her dying process, I wish I would have spent more time with her before she went. I was very aware, even before the fall that eventually caused her death, that my time with her was limited and I consciously treasured the moments I spent with her, now that she's gone, it just doesn't seem like I spent enough time with her. The learning here is, treasure every moment and be loving and forgiving to oneself and others.

I wish we had saved more money this year. I know it doesn't equal security, but it would be nice to know that we had something on the side so we won't be so tight at the end of each month, but more importantly, so we can have the freedom to live the life we want to live. We could have budgeted our money a little better. Often, we spend on most things we want without limits on how much we're spending. Setting dollar limits for things, so we have a budget, and keeping within the budget will help us make our money go a long(er) way.

This past year - I really have no regrets. I have lived my life the best way that I can. I wish in the future I could spend less time on my health and more on my loved ones. They have to put up with too much. I can't be the daughter, mother, wife, citizen that I truly want to be. But I am truly doing the best I can. Ido think accepting this vulnerability in mehelps me accept it in others as well. I hope so

one of my closest friends came out to arizona to help me move to LA. while she was there we had a fight. i said some very harsh things to her in a very aggressive way. i wish that i would have stopped myself from saying those things. i wish that in the moment when i was feeling so much anger i would have walked away and given myself time to calm down before engaging with her. in the future i would love to be aware of myself as my emotions are rising. i could either simply walk away and calm down, or tell the other person that i am having strong feelings come up, yet not make it about them. at this point with her, i am planning to have a conversation about what happened, and to honestly apologize.

I think I spend too much time focusing on work and my professional success. Somehow the urgency of work emails, tasks or deadlines takes precedence over things in my personal life - appointments, emails to return, even being on time to get home or meet people. I'm not sure how to fix this! I've been trying a long time. But I think the key might be to remind myself regularly what's really important in life, and make sure I'm devoting enough time to making those things work.

I wish I would have been a little more careful around a young girl and a small dog. They seemed harmless enough, but I walked too close to them. The girl did not have a tight hold on the dog. It lunged and bit me.

Everything I've done this year to this day, has taught me something. I've no regrets.

I feel really blessed that this is a year of no regrets. I feel pretty good about decisions I made, my choices, my conduct.

A lot of things.

I cannot put my finger on any one specific thing, but my biggest would be making promises, or hinting at promises that I don't know that I will be able to keep up on. Staying true to my word. Another big thing is making sure I take time to live in the moment and to live. While it is important to look to the future, it shouldn't overshadow the present

I wish I'd dealt with my younger brother differently. He has a lot of mental problems, and I was too hard on him a lot of the time as the answers to his problems seem obvious to me. While I still believe all the advice I gave him was good, trying to impart this on him by force, and being upset when he didn't follow it was a very bad way to go.

I wish I hadn't continued with the same type of eating habits I've had last year, and the last few years. But that's pretty boring and a lesson from basic living 101. Hmmm... maybe I would have encouraged my fiance in her studies more, instead of sitting with her on the couch eating takeout and watching TV for hours every night. We got into a pattern of doing this and it took time away from more important activities like being active, exercising, studying, exploring New York, volunteering and doing any number of better things with our time. I guess if I could do it differently I'd schedule more activities, because wasting time is the default. If we had things planned we could spend time more wisely. I'll try this in the future.

I don't think I have done a great job balancing my family, friends, boyfriend, work, etc... I need to do a better job with that next year. I need to focus more on the things that are more important and do a better job of keeping track of my schedule.

There is nothing I would have done differently in the past year. Everything that happened worked out like that for a reason, and everything I did was considered and felt like what I had to do at the time. No regrets!

I swallowed a lot of bitterness and sorrow this year, when I should've probably sought counseling. As a result I've been slow to heal. Only recently have I been able to cultivate a sense of humor about everything. Hence the reason this answer is such a knee-slapper.

I wish I had exercised more and eaten less. This is a constant goal...

I wish that I was not so shy starting school this semester. I should have just spoken to people from the start, in class, rather than not. Now it seems to awkward to start. I will just remember that people don't usually bite...

I wish I would have spoken up when things weren't moving in productive directions. My fear of arguing kept me from speaking up as directly as I would have liked. Towards the end of the year I began to express my thoughts forcefully but to do it without being negative or confrontational. My goal iss to share ideas and make plans not clash over egos and personalities. To remember we can disagree with respect.

I wish I had kept up with my relatively brief spate of good eating habits.

I wish I had done a better job at following up on my professional development. I feel like I let too many opportunities pass me by just because I dropped the ball or didn't follow up on taking initiative.

I wish that I had spent more time being in personal touch with oour daugters and their family. My wife is very proactive in this regard, and I have just gone along with how she was communicating with them. I have learned that I must be proactive in family affairs.

Patience again comes up, wish I could practice being consistently patient with my kids, with my former spouse, with situations that stress me out, and knock me out of my peaceful place. I would practice using my yoga/meditation techniques to regain my balance&peace much more quickly.

I wish I had not gotten back with Noah after he broke up with me. It was never the same and I knew it wasn't going to work out and it made me very unhappy.

I wish I had trusted my gut sooner rather than later. But honestly, I think I'm just doing the best that I can. I wish I was more disciplined about making my artwork.

I can't think of anything specific, but I am pretty reflective about my behavior, interactions with others and work life. I am always trying to figure out what works and what doesn't.

In the past year, I wish I had gotten my daughter to apply to more colleges. Having the focus on one school, however complicated the reasons, was a mistake.

I think I always struggle with a balance between what I do for myself and what I feel like I have to do. I often feel an inner struggle for wanting to take for myself but then feeling lazy. And I HATE feeling lazy. I want to surround myself with people who I love and want to spend time with. I think most often when I feel lazy, I feel lonely.

I wish I would have been better at paying attention to my finances. I would have held back a bit on purchases and also become more aggressive on collections. I also would have controlled my husband's spending a bit more.

Cultivated patience and forbearance.

I wish that I would have learned to put limits with my family earlier on, and to not let myself become as affected by them. In fact, as a whole I wish I would have been more self-confident, more assertive with people in both my work and private life, and less critical of myself.

I wish I had had more patience with my husband. He's such a dear most of the time and will do anything for me, yet, there are times I snap at him and feel put out when he asks me to do something. I could have thought more deeply about him being the one person I can count on. I will try very hard to have more patience. Something that helps me is to think how he would react if I asked him the same thing.

I did not have priorities, or better: I did not put my own interests on the first place.

Hmm, tricky. Not sure I handled things with Elena very well - I probably should have been more aware of how long it would take me to get over Lisa, and have held off. I don't regret it, but it probably have been better if I didn't let anything happen so soon.

I wish I had worked on harder on improving my habits. I would have put actual practice into my thoughts of not smoking, working out, eating and sleeping well. Going forward, I need to put action into my thoughts of improving myself. For example, I would actually work out, properly care for myself, eat and sleep well, and etc. In the future, I would like to put together an action plan and act on it. Instead of just dwelling on what I should be doing and doing what I should not.

While dealing with some health issues, I wish I had advocated better for myself. I simply accepted one doctors opinion which proved to be detrimental to my overall well-being and I should have asked for a 2nd opinion. In the future, I will figure out what I really need before I simply take one doctors orders. I will not be afraid to ask for help when I need it.

I wish I had begun to renew my commitment to self-fulfillment earlier in the year. As for others, they have been there and will be there: I for them and they for me. Ah, the sweet fragranceof the unconditional love of family and friends. How wonderful!

I think for me this is finally the year of beginning to NOT think this way. I have spent a lot of time living in the past, comparing my present self to my previous choices. That mindset did not serve me, and I do not want that kind of life anymore. To improve how things turn out in the future, I need to keep thinking about being present and trusting myself that I *AM* doing things right, that I do not always have to dwell on the possibility of having done things differently because in the end that is not even a real possibility anyway.

I definitely could have worked harder, both physically and career-wise. I could have pushed myself create more and to exercise both my body, mind and soul stronger

I wish that I had taken more chances, not held back as much. This year I'm going to try and say 'yes' more often.

Honestly, nothing comes to mind when I think about what I would have done differently. I guess I don't really have a big stake in regret or looking backward. How I did things is how I was supposed to do them, which isn't at all to say that I did things perfectly, but they brought me to the present moment, which is what it is and can't have been different.

I wish that I had not been so hard on myself.

wow tough one.well i told someone a 'secret' that i and the other 'cheater'--the man i loved -knew and that was odd,,actually right now i dont wish i had done anything differently. hhmmmm what have a i done that i wish id done differently? well guess i wish id been stronger but -things happen when they happen and we do what we can at the time so... no what i wish i had done differently was when he told me he had a 'gorlfriend' after fucking me for the same length of time i shouldve said are you kidding you have been cheating on her with me since the day you met her and now you dare call her a 'girlfriend?what the hell is wrong with you?do you call that love?do you call that a 'relationship'?you dont even know what love is yeah wish Id said all that at the time

I wish I had been able to deal with my roommate better. I think that there were plenty of things that we both do/did that drive us crazy but to a certain extent I feel like she forced me to be more confrontational because she avoids it at all costs and will only speak about it with other people which of course I found very hurtful and I lashed out. It was unfortunate and I wish I could have removed myself from the situation for a minute and thought about it more before I just blew up in her face. Granted I still feel it was shitty thing to do but I understand her situation and where she was coming from more and flying off the handle is never helpful in any situation and I wish I hadn't.

I guess being taken by surprise about my getting laid off. I would have saved more for a rainy day. I would have visited all my doctors before my insurance ran out. I wouldn't have spent money on frivolous things if I had really planned it out. I would get off my butt more and get proactive about pursuing my new profession and that's something I can still do something about.

I consider this past year to be a learning experience that has been different from most other years. While I wish that certain things had gone differently, I think of them as goals-in-progress rather than things that I'd like to go back and change. Mostly, I seek to find the balance between work, play, and school. As to how... I'm working on it ^_^

i think my answer to this might be the same very year for a while to come! i wish i'd stressed less and felt less anxious. I wish i'd been able to see my worth enough and felt safe enough that i didn't have to get recognition from others. i also wish i'd given myself a break and realized that i'm not responsible for everything going down in any given moment. That's a big thing. On a tangible level, i wish i'd paid my rent on time and really stayed on top of logistical parts of my life so they didn't weigh over me. But in essence, i feel pretty good with my choices. i feel like this has been a really good year of listening to myself and working hard on myself and that the fruits are being enjoyed.

I definitely would have started looking for a job post-grad job much earlier and more proactively. I knew I was going to be "returning to the nest" and banked on that I wouldn't have to have a job right away. I also went into over $1,000 worth of debt on my credit card...I'm learning to balance my finances as I will soon have a ton of stuff to pay for. Using my credit card was something I had to do in the situation but if I had planned differently (gotten a job, saved more during school while spending less), I definitely could have avoided a lot.

I lost an opportunity to be honest and as a result caused the suffering of loved ones. It was part of my journey to experience this situation. I have learned to align my intentions, words and actions, to live my truth.

I wish that I would've been a better friend. I got lost in my new relationship and in all the work I had. When things got a little rocky or a little uneasy with my friendships, I just sat back out of cowardice and let the problems get out of control. In the future, I'd like to be more courageous and address problems in friendships before they get out of hand. I would also like to be a more active friend and to fight to keep friendships that are important to me instead of letting them ebb and flow as they may and vaguely convincing myself that it's for the better.

I wish I had not put all my hopes and dreams in a basket that belongs to someone else. The good news is I figured this out and it is not to late to switch my thinking and actions. With Gods help, I will overcome this setback.

I tend to not regret things, so no. I am the sum of my actions and my inactions. I can learn from my past year to not rush decisions, to really go for what I want or risk ending up disappointed and unhappy again.

Nothing special to wish to change from 2008, maybe learning to respect and love and appreciate myself for what i am. Today i've evolved and i'm much happier and light :)

I was hoping by this time, this year, I'd be closer to figuring out my next career/business move. I've tried to focus on what it's going to be, but not as much or as seriously as I need to. It's a matter of human procrastination, mostly, and needing to seek out other to talk with and network with.

I wish I had focused on myself more than other people. In the future, I will spend more time listening to myself and filling my true needs. I feel this will eventually motivate me to focus on the rest of the world, but, for now, my focus has to be on me.

I would be more ambitious, you only get one chance and if you begin to drag your feet its hard to keep your sole intact

Yes, I wished I had taken better care of my body because I have gained lots of weight. I blamed my divorced and being sad, but basically I neglected my body and I should not have.

I just wish I would listen to that little voice in my head that tells me what is best and worst for me. I don't believe in regret so in the future, I hope to continue to listen to that voice and when something doesn't feel right I will follow my instincts -- these are usually good and serve me well.

I wish I'd used my downtime after being laid off to be more proactive with writing work. I got more into pitching editors and writing spec pieces when I moved back to NY and had to find work, but there was more that I could have done. I act more on ideas now and jump on the opportunities I'd have otherwise let pass.

I'm a teacher, and I sometimes get inappropriately angry at my students. I've been implementing strategies to work on it, and I think it's improving. So far (I've been in school for a month) the first month has gone well... hope I can go through the whole school year without losing it on a kid.

In building my investment team, I probably put too much faith in the mortgage broker to find favorable financing for me instead of looking for alternatives on my own. I will look for my own alternative sources next time. He put us through tremendous anxiety. I also regret my choice of realtors, who turned out to be pushy and self-serving. Perhaps I should have interviewed more realtors. Will find someone else to sell my homes.

I wish I had learned to let love happen naturally and slowly. Not that I would change the outcome now; but it was devastating when it happened. I have learned that love just happens and I can't make it who I am. Someone who loves me should love the good and the bad in me and not try to change any of it. I also need to love someone jsut the way they are too. And I learned that I am capable of loving and feeling the love I know I want.

I wish that I had begged to live in Chicago. I know that I wanted to live an adventurous life out on my own, but I wish that I were with my friends and family now, as they are the ones that will always love me.

This year, like many others, I missed opportunities to look out for myself, to treat myself with self respect, so that others would do the same. But during these days of awe, it has finally dawned on me what I'm doing wrong: I'm thinking too much in terms of my own self respect for its own sake, instead of for the sake of others. That is, as I am truer to myself and insist (gently) to myself and to others that they accept that true self, the respect I earn will enable me to do more good in the world. And with that as the goal, my life-long quest for a greater capacity for self-protection and self-assertion may finally be realized.

I want to take better care of my finances. I would have paid closer attention to avoid debt. I can learn by being more responsible with finances in the future.

Yes. I wish I would have had the courage to be more honest with my friends about how their attitudes and actions hurt me deeply. Instead I have kept it bottled and under wraps and that has been one of many factors causing the erosion of our friendship. I also wish I would have been more proactive about looking for a new job. Instead I let time go by and now I have a lot of work ahead of me to get where I want to go, whereas had I started earlier I might have already been there. I hope I can learn to be more honest even when it is painful, and to try harder even when I'm afraid I might fail.

I wish I had gone out more this summer. But that is nothing new. I wasn't turning down opportunities to go out, they just didn't seem to present themselves much this summer. I only have so many more years to wear flirty summer frocks so I hate to see a summer go by when I didn't wear my favorite dresses over and over. That and show off my bright summery pedicure. I guess in the future I must try to remember that I can never relive a summer and to take advantage of the time I have. Make the opportunities if they don't come to me.

I wish I hadnt offended my parents on my birthday by telling them I WAS home in India for my birthday. I need to be more considerate of what comes out of my mouth.

i wish i had been able to find the motivation to go back to work...it wasn't until this august that i found it enough to get back to "wanting" to be working again...thank G-d!

hhmmmm. I think the way i delt with my nephew while he was living with us... I took on the role of his mom and i should not have done that.. He was in pain and im a sucker for lost and broken animals and people. Anyways he left in the middle of the night with out a word and it has really hurt all of us . So i geuss i should not be such a sucker and i only need to be a mom to my kids. They need the effort more than anyone else.

I wish I had stuck to my goals! If I had done 30 situps a day every day and cycled 10 miles a night every night, my weight would no longer be a problem and I wouldn't be panicking about fitting into my wedding dress in 7 months time. I really need to make time for myself and make a conscious effort at motivating myself.

I wish I had gone to therapy. My marriage needs it, I need it. There were many "attempts" but not real action. In the future, I hope I take it seriously and do it.

No. In the big picture, I got to where I am as soon as I could! I do resolve to drink more wine, invite the trance, take more time to be with myself, and take more walk abouts-- do things that mirror discovery.

I wish I did a better job at balancing work and family. I would have left work-t0-be-done at work ... not bring it home. I need to learn to love loose ends.

I wish that I would weave on my loom regularly and practice playing my recorder. I just postpone these two activities, that I greatly enjoy once I get started, until it is late in the day and I feel that I am too tired. Perhpas I can just start right after breakfast.

I wish I had been more patient - more open to others and not let myself hide away. I could have reached out more and let others know I needed support.

I would have looked for a job more diligently. I would have done this by networking more, being more proactive. I need to do and not just say.

i wished that i wouldn't take things too easily and learn how to fend for myself. learn to say 'NO' when i know i should be saying that. stop procrastinating and i've gotta learn to not procrastinate anymore!

I wish I wasn´t so soft when it comes to charge for my work.

I would have started saving wayyyyy earlier for my next step...and I would have learned how important savings are...they give you the freedom to walk away from a person, from a bad situation, from a bad job, from whatever you can't tolerate anymore. From now on savings will be a very important part of my financial strategy.

I played too large a role in the breakup of my friend and her girlfriend. If I had only managed to keep better control of my emotions, I probably could have avoided a lot of the heartache that caused. I think I've managed to mend most of my bridges pretty well almost a year later, but those scars will never completely fade.

maybe study for the bar exam more. perhaps i'll feel differently if it turns out i passed. i wish i spent more time with the friends that mattered than with the ones that dont. i wish i had seen more clearly the people not worth wasting time on, and focused more on the people who will still be around next year when i read this. learn from it? i suppose trust my instincts better, and listen to myself more. i wish my brother and i hadn't wasted so much time fighting about his girlfriend (now ex). i'll improve by leading by example, rather than shoving things down others' throats

No, there is nothing I wish I had done differently. I believe we are all Divinely led and the everything is in Divine Right Order. It was a year of emotional and spiritual growth.

I wish I hadn't spent money like it was going out of style. I'm going to get better at saving it, at not spending it on things I don't need or want.

The way I handled my work when I was confused and depressed last autumn. I burned a bridge with a company through my behaviour. If I had only known - and said - that I was burnt out and needed a break - I could have come back whenever I wanted. Instead, I kept starting things and not finishing them, behaving awkwardly, frustrating expectations, and generally coming across like a loose cannon. They have avoided me since and it has affected my confidence. In the future...don't commit to things unless you're sure? And manage relationships as best you can so they don't die.

Ate healthier foods, been better at time management; made a plan to be more organized

I wish I had reigned in my emotions more before drawing conclusions and speaking or emailing. I'll work on this both personally and with my counselor over the next year.

I wish I saved more money this year. This is my biggest goal for the upcoming year!

If it's about self-flagellation, then no, I don't wish anything was done differently. I regret the things I hadn't done and they are many. I wish I'd interviewed my grandfather about his personal history like I'd planned. It's not too late, but I'm not confident I'll get to it. I wish I'd paid some bills (and my taxes) on time rather than deal with the consequences of being late. I wish I'd been nicer to some people some times. However, I'm a chronic procrastinator. I always plan on doing things I'm not likely to accomplish. An truly, I'm most 'myself' sometimes when I act like an asshole. So ... it's unlikely I would have done much differently ... and I've made it this far in life somehow. Best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Oh well.

There isn't. I'm a firm believer in not having regrets and if I hadn't had the experiences I'd had, I wouldn't be the person I am now, and I like the person I am now.

Yes. I wish I'd lost weight this year and been more productive, gotten my home organized and gotten in shape. How can I learn from it? Fuck you. Every year I wish I'd lost weight, been more productive, organized my home and wish I'd done it differently. I live in regretland. I guess I need to make a series of small changes to give myself a fighting chance at making substantive changes. For me, that's the only way. Got to make little changes and stick with 'em.

Something i would've done differently is that i would have taken more consideration to who i should trust and who I shouldn't. I would have learned more about people before i started to trust them, and i can learn from this by being more careful with who i hang out with

I would have worked harder on my summer math homework to start with a better grade in honors geometry. I will focus more during the summer.

I wish I had used my time more effectively. I need to rid my life of some of its clutter. I need to be more diligent with both.