Coaching practices for Regrets of Omission

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Regrets of Omission, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• All I can picture is how much it’ll hurt if I try this and it blows up in my face, so I keep not doing it
• A few big regrets keep circling back because they never got an ending
• When I imagine being old and looking back, I don’t think it’s the risky things I tried that I’ll regret
• I keep telling myself family comes first, but when I actually look at where my hours went this week it’s almost all work
• There’s so much I swallow to keep the peace

Practices that may help

1. Weigh action regret against inaction regret
   Over a lifetime, the regrets that linger are usually the things you didn’t do.
   The Regret-Minimization Framework
2. Revisit and reconcile your significant regrets
   Name your regrets explicitly and work through them toward acceptance — not suppression or rumination.
   Life Review and Reminiscence Therapy
3. Apply the regret minimization frame
   Ask “Which choice will I regret more at 80?” — people consistently underestimate regret for inactions.
   Status Quo Bias — Why We Stick with the Default
4. Audit work hours against your stated priorities
   Compare how you actually spend your time this week against what you say matters most.
   The Regret of the Dying
5. Practice expressing feelings you habitually suppress
   Name one feeling you regularly suppress and find one safe context to express it this week.
   The Regret of the Dying
6. Schedule deliberate investment in your important friendships
   Identify your most important friendships and make a concrete plan to reach out this week — not when conditions are easier.
   The Regret of the Dying
7. The Regret of the Dying
   Bronnie Ware, an Australian palliative care nurse, documented the most common regrets of dying patients in her book The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. The themes — especially living others’ expectations, working too hard, suppressing feelings, and neglecting friendships — are consistent with broader research on regret and well-being. The evidence is qualitative and self-reported; treat it as wisdom data, not clinical data.
8. Audit whether you are living your life or someone else’s
   Identify the places where your choices reflect others’ expectations rather than your own values.
   The Regret of the Dying
9. Name the values the regret is about
   Regret points at a violated value — make the value explicit.
   The Regret-Minimization Framework
10. Practice gratitude for what you chose
    Counter maximizer regret by actively appreciating the option you took.
    Satisficing vs. Maximizing: When “Good Enough” Wins

Describe your situation in your own words to search the complete practice library.