Bonnie Ware, a hospice nurse from Australia, had the honor of being a caregiver of elderly

patients in the last three to 12 weeks of their lives.

Now, interestingly, she began noticing a common theme of great remorse among people nearing the end of their lives.

There was no mention of wishing for more Facebook followers or working longer hours at the office or even making a million dollars.

Quite the opposite.

As much of her time was spent in silence sitting beside these aging patients, she just began to journal their intimate discussions.

Now, the reason I'm telling you this, there's a purpose, but with each patient, she realized

her role as a caregiver was more about listening to their dying epiphanies more than anything

else. With more clarity of vision than they'd had in their younger years, they just needed an

ear to reveal their deepest sorrows as they neared their final moments.

Here's what she heard.

I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. She said this was the most

common regret of all. She said when people realized that their life is almost over and they look

back clearly on it, it's easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. She said most people

had not honored even half of their dreams and had to die

knowing that it was due to the choices they made or didn't make. She said health brings a freedom

that very few realize until they no longer have it. I don't know if this shakes you up like it

did me, but it reminds me of that famous quote from Miles Monroe. Here's what he said.

He said, the richest place in the world. It's not the diamond mines of South Africa or the

old fields of the Middle East. The wealthiest place in the world is the graveyard. He said,

in the grave, there are books that were never written, songs that were never sung, businesses never started.

Don't go to the grave with your dreams still in you.

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