No Regrets - Why We should not need to look back

One of the most important reasons for this forum, is to make sure that my fellow adults and today's generation of young people, are making the most of the opportunities in their lives. Time and time again, I have met adults who feel they have not done this, and as the saying goes, it is what we don't do in life that we regret the most. We need to make sure that the young people of today are given the best opportunities possible, so that by the time they have become adults, they will not look back with regret, at the career choices they have made.

Teachers understand how important it is, to give young people the best start in life. Who you are now affects how you will be in years to come. As we say at my old university, the students for example, are the 'leaders of tomorrow.' So what kind of a future do we want to give them? And the same goes for disadvantaged young people. Just because they face challenges, should not stop them from having good careers: but of course, they need to be given the right opportunities for this to happen.

And to my fellow adults: I would say that for us, we need to be able to look back with satisfaction on our lives, and know that we used our experience, to make the most of the opportunities around us. It is when we don't do this, that we succumb to something of a pandemic in today's world: the midlife crisis.

The midlife crisis might seem laughable to anyone under 30, but I can assure you, it is no joke. You begin to realise that time is passing you by, and that old friends now even have grandchildren. Then it hits home. We wake up one day and think 'what happened to my life?' It is true that relationships play a big part in our past regrets. But equally, something I have noticed, is that time and again, a missed career opportunity, is what my fellow adults regret the most.

If we adults are honest here, as this classic Star Trek moment illustrates: one of our greatest fears is this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHoPLhpw2g4


But it doesn't have to be this way. We have the power to change that. My fellow adults have years of experience, and if we get properly organised, can co-ordinate our efforts to create some amazing opportunities for ourselves, and for the young people of today. We need to do everything we can to make this happen. You only live once, and it is important that both young people and adults, have the jobs and the career opportunities they need to live a good, fulfilling life.

So let's make this happen.